Commitment Commencement
by Irual
Summary: This story is about poor Drake's attempt to further his relationship with Morgana. The path to true love seldom is a straightforward one after all, especially when there are crimes 2 solve 2. It is also the set up to my next 4 fics so enjoy everyone
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Morgana Macabre, Drake/Darkwing, Gosalyn Mallard, Launchpad, the Muddlefoots and all other characters and places you recognize from the Disney Afternoon Cartoon Block all belong Disney. I am only borrowing them for fun and writing practice. No Money involved, only love and feedback. (Hint please review if possible thank you.) **

**This story takes place about six weeks or so after the end of my fan fiction Hexes & Vexes and follows the continuity of my storyline. I don't think you HAVE to read that one to enjoy this one, but I'd love it if you did. **

**Keep in mind though that it's not entirely cannon since I have added a few new and different plot elements. Also This DOES contain spoilers for Hexes and Vexes so please bear with me I can't stand it I HAD to post this now before it drove me crazier than I already am. Enjoy everyone Irual**

**---**

**Drake Mallard slept uneasily under his powder blue blanket, he was dreaming and unfortunately for his peace of mind this wasn't the first time his brain had come up with a vision about this situation in the last few weeks.**

**The first few times he'd had this sort of dream, he just shaken off the feelings of apprehension that he'd awakened with and continued on with his busy schedule. This time might have been a repeat of this same scenario except for the fact that Drake was beginning to feel as though he was running out of time.**

**Even though he didn't have a deadline per se', he had been trying to face this for almost three months now and his subconscious was becoming a nag of epic proportions. Ever since the end of February or so, he had been much more serious in the pursuit of his love interest Morgana Macabre.**

**As a result of their trying to move to the next level in their relationship Dark was spending a lot more time and effort trying to learn about her culture and she was really making a lot of effort to blend some Normal elements into the time they spent together. **

**They had fallen into the habit of spending at least three days or nights a week together and much to his amazement and delight in the past month or so he had only had a couple of disagreements or weird incidents with her that had given him a case of the willies. Unfortunately the most recent of these had happened last night. **

**Even though they disagreed sometimes, their arguments were almost always resolved fairly quickly and almost never involved Morgana's lashing out with her magic anymore. The Spell chain they both wore tended to glow when they argued though and last nights episode had definitely been a low point, at least from Drake's point of view. **

**He had been trying to comfort Squeek, Morgana's injured familiar; and while coaxing the bat to work his wings, Morgana had been overcome by a surge of pain and Drake had panicked. He had finally left her house, but Drake had to admit the incident had shaken him badly and he had spent several hours in the tower lair afterwards before calming himself enough to come home. **

**As much as he hated to admit it, the possibility of her lashing out with her magic when she was upset still scared him a lot. He knew that after what happened to him at Castle Macabre he had issues with the whole transformative magic thing but…unless he was willing to trust Morgana and accept her Mage abilities; their relationship was going nowhere.**

**If only he could get over his jitters, her being a Mage HAD fascinated him from the start. He had always been attracted to the unusual, the different the mysterious…and the friendly cover of darkness had always touched something deep inside his mind and heart. **

**Having found a female that embodied those things and accepted his fascination with them was more than he'd ever expected. Of course it didn't hurt that her magnificent figure, gorgeous eyes, dainty beak and slender ladylike limbs had enthralled him from the first second he'd seen her either. **

**As he moved slightly and twitched in his sleep, the light purple sleep shirt he habitually wore to bed shifted revealing a ring on a braided gold chain that he wore looped several times around his neck. It had become a constant accessory ever since Gosalyn's tenth birthday. He and Morgana had exchanged promise rings that day and each wore the others promise in hopes of becoming official someday.**

**Drake was walking along in his dream and suddenly he was dressed in his Darkwing Duck outfit instead of his sleep shirt. In his dream the mindscape had gone from an innocuous soft blue sky with fluffy white clouds to the familiar cityscape of St. Canard.**

**It was daytime and Darkwing was walking along the sidewalk of the downtown business district. He had just gotten off the Ratcatcher; and his best friend and loyal sidekick Launchpad McQuack had stayed in the sidecar to finish his hippo burger while Darkwing investigated the store that had caught his interest. **

**He peered into the window, careful not to touch the glass; inside nestled on the black velvet cloth in the display were several modest diamond rings. Also in the window were a very expensive necklace and earring set and several bracelets.**

**As he looked at the display, Darkwing felt his heart plummet down toward his toes. From the price tags in the window, even the modest rings were well beyond the price range he had hoped would be enough. He had been saving for nearly three months, but even though he shared the house bills with Launchpad; raising Gosalyn was expensive.**

**Gos had been remarkably good lately and had only broken two windows and a vase since her birthday, but even so he felt very discouraged. He hated to admit it, but at this rate; even IF he managed to get up the intestinal fortitude to ask his love to marry him; it would be at least another month, more like three; before he could afford even a modest engagement ring.**

**Sighing he forced himself to move briskly back to the motorcycle. Mounting the custom machine with the ease and panache that came with of lots of practice, Darkwing started the powerful engine and with a roar they pulled out into the light afternoon traffic.**

**Keeping an eye out for criminal activity just out of habit; he pretended that he didn't see Launchpad's curious glance. As they moved down the street Launchpad cleared his throat and started to ask about the unscheduled stop but he was interrupted by a series of loud banging noises.**

**Drake woke from his dream with a start as he realized someone was knocking loudly on his bedroom door.**

**Launchpad's good-natured voice sounded through the door. "Heh, sorry DW but you said last night that you wanted to be up by no later than eight o clock…."**

**He glanced at his alarm clock and sure enough, Launchpad had let him sleep until eight am. For just a few seconds Drake thought about the dream he'd been in the middle of; but then Drake moaned as he realized that this was the weekend he was expected to endure the company of the Muddlefoots. There would be no time off either once they all got to the National Park.**

**Launchpad cautiously opened the door and seeing that Drake was awake and sitting up gave his best friend a thumbs up gesture and offered, " I'll go start the coffee maker for you DW, When I was having my before breakfast snack earlier; I realized that no one set the timer last night.**

**Drake looked up at his best friend and smiled, "Thanks LP, I really appreciate the help." **

**Giving in to the inevitable Drake sighed and slowly got up. He put extra effort into moving as he recalled that it was the end of June and Gosalyn hadn't awakened him at dawn with any of her usual shenanigans. **

**School had been out for almost a month and Gosalyn had finished the latest Wiffle Boy game just last week so by Drake's calculations she should have been a minor engine of destruction this morning.**

**Just as a side effect of her being unoccupied by the mesmerizing electronic gizmos that had occupied her; along with pick up games of baseball, soccer team tryouts, their trip to Duckburg and the Jr. Woodchuck's campground jamboree, gymnastics training and Quack Fu lessons since the end of the formal school year she should have been up and at him since daylight. **

**He paused for a moment in the middle of tying the belt to his robe as he realized that it was raining. Really concerned now he hurried to the hallway and peered out to see if the coast was clear, if Gosalyn was stuck inside, there was no telling where she'd be or what kinds of mayhem would ensue. Much to his shock he looked cautiously into the open doorway of her bedroom and saw that his darling daughter was CLEANING her room! **

**Suspicious Drake cleared his throat and asked carefully, "Hi Gos is the world coming to and end today?"**

**She was busy stuffing trash into a large plastic bag half full of Koo Coo cola cans, papers and what looked like a small broken kite and absently replied, "Hi Dad, not that I know of. My end of the world e mail said that wouldn't happen until after the fireworks display downtown this weekend." **

**She looked up at him and asked worriedly, "You DO remember about the HUGE fourth of July fireworks display RIGHT? You said we could watch the whole thing and then spend the weekend with the Jr. Woodchuck's, Honker and the Muddlefoots right?!"**

**Drake sighed and nodded, "Don't worry Gos, I remember, you and Honker brought it up just after school let out for the summer and you two signed up to be in St. Canard's newest chapter of the Jr. Woodchucks. Since you have circled it on EVERY calendar and put electronic countdown widgets on all the computers…." He raised his eyebrows expressively and added, "Even the ones at the lair. I got the hint okay?"**

**Leaning against the door frame he dodged the now full bag of trash as it landed by the doorframe. Then he asked as she squirmed under her bed and began shoving toys and sports equipment out from under the furniture. "So, if this isn't an attempt to bribe the four horsemen of the apocalypse into letting you call shotgun on their ride, then what IS the momentous occasion?"**

**Just then he heard her squeal of triumph. Gosalyn's voice went up a few decibels as she crowed, "Here it IS I knew it was here somewhere!" **

**She crawled back out from under her bed shedding several musty looking socks and held up a pretty toy. It was a fairly large snow globe of St. Canard and wound around the base of the six inch clear globe was a shiny twist of chain that looked similar to the one wrapped several times around her left wrist.**

**These were her favorite presents from her tenth birthday, that had been this past April; and since she had yet to lose or break the seemingly fragile globe Drake figured that the enchantment on it must be particularly sturdy. Her custom cell phone was a close third and he hid a smile as he saw she had tied the phone in it's carrier above her ankle in her sock.**

**Gosalyn stole a peek at her dad and asked cautiously, "I want to see if I can find Morgana's house this time Dad, will you help me look?"**

**He grinned and shook off his twinge of apprehension at the thought of the magical nature of the toy. Picking up one of her basketball jerseys he handed it to her saying, "I'll tell you what Gos," he offered, "I'll help you look after I shower and get dressed. That should give you just enough time to put all that stuff where it's supposed to be and put those socks and the jersey in the laundry."**

**She started to protest until he sweetened the deal by giving her a quick hug. "No excuses young lady, we made a deal remember? If you keep your stuff where it belongs and make your bed and put your clean clothes away you get to do the extra Quack Fu lessons and the crime fighting training all summer as well as be a Jr. Woodchuck. I AM glad LP has agreed to be the troop leader, he's used to you and Honker, anyone else would be on medication in a month."**

**Blushing she groaned and objected, "Come on Dad, I'm not that bad. Am I? Can we have waffles for breakfast?"**

**Drake smiled a little, unable to be upset since she HAD started cleaning her room; this time all on her own. Granted it was a side benefit of her looking for her toy but still Drake was willing to look on this as progress none the less. "Sure Gosalyn, and No, you aren't BAD; not at all."**

**He hugged her gently and touched the top of her bill with a gentle finger continuing, " It's just… people see your beautiful eyes, and adorable pouty little bill and don't even realize you have a working pact with trouble; it finds you no matter where you are."**

**Launchpad grinned from his place by the upstairs bathroom where he just put clean towels by the shower and offered "Oh Boy…I'll get the waffle iron out and start the bacon. Don't worry DW, When Huey, Dewy, Louie and the other Woodchucks come for the campout we'll already be at the campground so there won't be any conflicts there."**

**Gosalyn and Drake both grinned at each other and Drake went to get ready for what was shaping up to be a challenging day since it was looking as though the rain was going to be an all day affair. As he got in the shower he determinedly shook off a feeling of foreboding and forced himself to whistle a cheery tune.**

**He was busily rubbing a cleaning emulsion into his feathers and using one of the preening combs on his plumage when he noticed the water from the showerhead was avoiding the ring on its chain around his neck. Startled he turned off the light for a moment and saw that sure enough the ring was glowing very faintly. **

**Concerned for a moment he focused his thoughts on Morgana and her familiars. Over the past few weeks he had become a little more familiar with how the occasional strange extra sensations he had to interpret now worked. He didn't sense anything unusual just now though. Unless Morgana or her familiars were actively seeking him out or in dire peril though this was normal. **

**Drake had discovered he was much more likely to have input from this new odd side of his senses if he was actively involved with Morgana or near her physically. Although he had also noticed a hyper sense of alertness and attention to detail if he was excited or in a dangerous situation like on a patrol that wasn't turning out to be routine. **

**He HAD also observed that the promise ring he wore tended to be a barometer of her moods, energy levels and needs. He tended to notice the ring's reactions when she was emotional or in some kind of distress, especially if there was a need he could fulfill directly. **

**Unlike when the Spell Chain around his neck activated, he seldom felt overwhelmed by the ring. Instead he tended to react in a much more nurturing mode and so did Morgana although he hadn't realized that until they had had their difficulties last night and she had taken him in hand.**

**He shuddered a little with hormones and blushed, remembering her incredibly sensuous and sexy tail. Most of the time she hid her tail with an illusion and her legs under her various outfits but last night she'd changed into a much lighter robe than she usually wore and he hadn't been able to ignore how the sight of her pert feathered tail peeking out from the back of the robe and her legs silhouetted under the silken cloth had affected him.**

**He'd managed to keep from drooling thank goodness, but he hadn't been able to refuse her when she'd asked to groom his feathers. It had been one of the most sensual and kindest physical experiences he could remember and it had been all he could do to leave afterwards and not beg her to keep him always. **

**He was also the only one, aside from Morgana, who could see their rings or the Spell Chains glow evidently; which was a good thing if his happened to be on the outside of his clothes. For some strange reason no one ever seemed to notice that they wore the Spell Chain either. **

**Gosalyn HAD been a little disappointed when none of the children at school had commented on her bracelet, but Drake had been truly relieved when only Honker and LP seemed able to see the Chains or the rings, Explaining something like a magically empowered Chain or a glowing ring to the Muddlefoots would be a headache. Most likely Herb and Binkie would laugh it off as a movie souvenir and ignore anything that didn't fit in with that, but having a magically glowing artifact give him away on a patrol could be fatal.**

**Worried still in spite of himself, Drake dried off and wrapped a towel around himself so he could make a quick phone call before cooking the waffles for breakfast. From the smell of frying bacon and the faint undertones of smoke LP was already handling the preliminary prep work so he'd have to hurry if he wanted to find some piece of mind without Gosalyn or LP getting upset as well.**

**---**

**Archie, Morgana Macabre's spider shaped familiar; was humming to himself as he artistically draped his webbing over the curtain rail that shaded the bay window in the living room. Morgana was busy working on her potions and unguents in the kitchen with Eek and Squeek so Archie felt justified in indulging his artistic side for a few minutes.**

**Besides last night had been particularly trying for all of them and he really wanted to relax. After Morgana and Drake had fought, it had been difficult to get through to Morgana with words at all. **

**It had taken several hours before the threesome of familiars could calm Dark and Morgana enough for them to realize WHY they had become so upset. Drake's fear had triggered a feedback loop that had kept them off balance emotionally and had crippled their physical energy flows as well as caused Squeek major pain when their Magical power had flashed unevenly unexpectedly surging into both him and Drake. That had been what had shaken Dark out of his panic and broken the loop.**

**Squeek's agony had penetrated Drake's fear and his instinct to help those who needed it had responded to Squeek's need. Morgana had also been prompted by Drake's promise ring around her neck and that had helped her to understand what was happening and how to help him. **

**The night had ended on a much better note since they had all ended up cuddling for several hours and Drake had allowed Morgana to groom his plumage. He'd even responded enough to groom her back although he'd been very tentative and cautious. That kind of physical intimacy was something Dark seldom allowed himself.**

**None of the familiars had yet figured out WHY Drake deliberately held himself back from physically surrendering to at least some of the passion that he and Morgana both felt so strongly, especially since they were promised now and had become bonded magically.**

**Morgana was particularly frustrated by this but she respected Drake's convictions enough that she didn't want to force him before he was ready. Unfortunately that meant that there was only so much they could do to encourage the situation. Archie hummed a little louder in satisfaction as he recalled how well Drake had responded to seeing Morgana's tail. Morgana HAD renewed the illusion that usually hid her tail but Archie, Eek and Squeek had convinced her to give Drake a peek as a way to encourage him, and she had agreed in spite of her understandable insecurities about her tail. **

**Archie sighed to himself but he nodded in a satisfied way as he surveyed the effect of his orb shaped web in the upper reaches of the window. As the morning sun sent rays of light to temporarily illuminate the bay window, Archie had to admit that Darkwing DID have a small point or two in his favor as far as the quote Normal side of life was concerned unquote.**

**There were good things in the daytime as well as the night and since Morgana had begun taking more of a balanced interest in both sides of the coin they had all broadened their perspectives including Drake.**

**He and Gosalyn actually liked hearing about the history and culture of the Monster realm and both of them ate Monster inspired foods several times a week now. Drake had even admitted that he looked forward to some of Morgana's meals now; most of the time anyway.**

**Morgana had been consulting with her Aunt Lucidia and the library Bookworm at Castle Macabre for ways to cook healthy Monster style foods that Drake could eat without struggling physically, since a few of the more unusual ingredients in Monster cooking really didn't agree with his digestion; not yet anyway. **

**If Squeek had his way of course, Drake and his little family would be much more acclimated to magic by the time Yule came; and Archie had to admit that that WAS likely. One of the few really good things that were happening because of Squeek's injury was that all three of the Normals were progressing a lot faster in that area than either Eek or Archie had anticipated. **

**Morgana came in with Eek and Squeek and moved to glance out the window. A line of dark clouds was moving swiftly in shore from Audubon Bay rapidly graying out the sky and causing an Easterly breeze to whip its way toward the city center. Morgana smiled as she saw the line of dark clouds pouring a steady stream of rain down to cover the cityscape. **

**The combination of warm pavement and earth that had been baking in the summer heat blended with the rain and the cool breeze coming off the bay at dawn to cause a lovely thick fog to form and sweep its way over the city skyline. **

**A slight frown touched her delicate beak as she watched the fog obscure the mighty landmark of the suspension bridge that connected downtown St. Canard with its outlying suburbs. It was also one of the major highways that led to Duckburg and its various environs. **

**Ordinarily fog and its accompanying damp and gloom were a welcome taste of home for Morgana and her familiars. Her frown stemmed from a fact she knew that only a handful of others did. The bridge was not only a vital traffic artery for the city; it was also the secret lair and headquarters of the masked crime fighter Darkwing Duck.**

**The bridge had been badly damaged a little over two months ago and was still being repaired but Dark had begun refurbishing his lair and clandestinely reinstalling his equipment and supplies as soon as the first tower had been certified as structurally sound. Only two of the four towers were badly damaged now but the second was nowhere near ready yet and it would be at least another month or two before regular traffic would move over the bridge again.**

**Those same few people that knew about Darkwing's secret headquarters, also knew him as the leader of the government sponsored team of crime fighters called the Justice Ducks that she too was a part of; thanks in no small way to Darkwing. Most people automatically assumed that Gizmoduck was in charge simply because of his greater degree of fame and wider reputation even though he was based in nearby Duckburg and not here in St. Canard. **

**Outside her homeland, the Monster realm; even fewer people knew of their much more personal connection. In the last year or so they had gone from being outright antagonists to being far more than just teammates. **

**In fact in the last two or three moons Morgana had to admit that Darkwing had in fact become even more than just her boyfriend. If she wanted to be honest he had in fact become the other half of her heart.**

**He held a vital piece of her soul even if he didn't seem to know it and watching the bridge disappear into the fog bank caused a shiver of discomfort to make its way down her spine and a chill to whisper uncomfortable secrets into her heart. As the many construction barges and cranes that were being used to repair the bridge disappeared into the fogbank with the bridge, she felt as though she was somehow cut off from an important piece of herself all of a sudden; and she stirred uncomfortably as this sensation recalled their recent troubles.**

**Squeek whimpered a little from his place tucked securely in a sling of soft, spell imbued cloth wrapped around Morgana's torso. Her Aunt Lucidia had specially prepared the healing potion that the thread was soaked in to make the sling.**

**Lucidia's mate Elder council member Mintaka had woven the sling himself to facilitate Squeek's recovery. He was a master craft mage and even though he and Lucidia didn't live together most of the time, he had always acknowledged his connections to the Macabre's through Lucidia and he had taken Squeek's injury as a personal insult. **

**Since Squeek's wounds had happened at the hands of her former high school beau Lafayette Plasimeaux, and Mintaka had been charged with healing and compensating his victims ; even those he discovered from all the way back in high school; Morgana hadn't objected to their help.**

**In fact Morgana got a great deal of comfort out of knowing they were trying to help both her and Squeek. Morgana honestly didn't feel as though her memories from her senior year were nearly as painful anymore and her Aunt and Elder Mintaka had completely cleansed her Magic to make sure Lafayette hadn't left any other lingering unpleasant surprises in her mind or Power.**

**That cleansing and the close sensual Power exchange she had with Dark were two of the good things that had resulted from that horrible experience. Deliberate injuries like Squeek's were almost unheard of as far as Morgana knew, and his still being hurt after all this time frightened her very much. She was careful to be encouraging to Squeek, Eek and Archie and she steadfastly refused to consider that he might not fully recover; but she had noticed that his condition didn't really improve unless Dark held him for at least a little while every few days. He didn't get worse thank the Creator but Squeek didn't get better either. **

**No matter how much of her energy she channeled into Squeek or how long he was held next to her body in the sling, it was Dark who soothed his pain so he could heal. Morgana had been flabbergasted and a little hurt when she had realized this but Archie and Eek had both explained that it was a side effect of the power channels that had been formed between herself, the familiars and Dark back at Castle Macabre in Second month.**

**Morgana had never heard of a Normal being connected with a bonded Mage's familiars before, but then again what Archie, Eek and Squeek had helped her do to save Dark from her father's machinations had been most unusual from start to finish and they were all still figuring out the ramifications. Also Dark tended to be injured a lot and so understood working through pain better than she did. Since Gosalyn was his daughter, and she was so very like him in spirit; it stood to reason she had inherited his Magical flexibility and was no more a Magical Null than her father was. Squeek felt less guilt sharing his pain with Darkwing than he did when he shared it with his beloved Morgana.**

**Squeek also tended to heal faster when Dark and little Gosalyn were encouraging him, particularly if the encouragement included massaging his injured wings or giving him treats. This lesser emotional turmoil and close physical contact also meant that more of Squeek's energy was devoted to recovering when he was with Darkwing and Gosalyn than there was if he became discouraged or upset as he sometimes did when his injuries affected Morgana adversely the way they had last night. **

**Eek fluttered to hang beside the web on the curtain rail as it disappeared in the newly made gloom and sent to Morgana reassuringly. **_'Don't worry Morgana, Drake loves you and accepts us all, he really IS trying to get over being afraid that you will lose your temper and turn him into something horrible. He trusts you with Gosalyn and you know if he didn't trust us explicitly at least on some level he'd be keeping her far away from us all. He doesn't expect his thoughts and feelings to cause us to react. After all, we have all been together since you called us and he's just not used to it yet he just needs a little more time.'_

**Squeek's mental voice sounded tired and worn but it held a note of hope as he added, **_'Give us all a little more time mistress, instead of doing anything like keeping Gosalyn away; Drake's brought her with him when he's come over. She's been here at least once or twice a week, sometimes more; since the Normal's have stopped tutoring her for the summer.'_

**Squeek drooped noticeably as his energy flagged and Archie sent his thoughts encouragingly to Squeek, **_'I know the rain makes you ache, but it also means that Drake will probably run out of things to amuse Gosalyn with so he might come over tonight; unless his responsibilities as Darkwing kick in again.' _

**Opening his connection entirely to Morgana Archie crooned as he sent,'**_ Morgana dearest, don't fret; Dark isn't the only part of him that loves you, Darkwing and Drake are yours too. Just as much as you are his, he's …'_

**Just then the phone rang and Morgana felt her heart give a now familiar jump as she answered and Drake's voice came out of the receiver.**

**Sounding a little uncertain her Dark asked, "Morgana, Umm…I was just wondering are you doing alright? I didn't wake you did I?"**

**Morgana suppressed a yawn and stated firmly, "No Dark darling, I haven't gone to bed yet. I was just finishing a potion for Squeek." **

**Drake could tell somehow that even though she was telling the truth, there was more to it than that. Archie, Eek and Squeek all glowed a little as they felt Morgana's emotional stress and channeled it towards her Mage reserves so she could use the energy positively later. **

**Moved by a sudden impulse Drake asked, "Do you think you will be able to rest now Morg? Gosalyn will be busy destroying the house for a while since it's raining and I really don't want to have to shovel mud out of the carpet; but if you want to, you can come over to the house and…"**

**Just then he was interrupted by a strident shrill tone that sounded throughout the hall. "Oops! I have to go Morg LP has set off the smoke alarm again, call me after you wake up. Iloveyou…."**

**Surprised, Morgana hung up the phone and shook her head with a smile as she pictured the delightful chaos that her Honey Wompus tended to live in. She suddenly found herself in the midst of a delightful daydream in which she was making healthy nutritious meals for Drake, Gosalyn and Launchpad. And for just a few minutes she even entertained a wild pipe dream of showing little Gosalyn how to make and empower potions. this was of course just a fancy of hers since a Normal born duckling wouldn't be able to make an empowered potion without some kind of Magical help. **

**Archie, Squeek and Eek had evidently empowered the love potion Gosalyn had convinced them to make back in February and it HAD worked (at least a little), but without more than the touch of sensitivity she seemed to have it wasn't right to raise her hopes about any formal Magical teaching. Especially since she'd been duped and used when she'd visited the Eldritch Academy before, still it made Morgana's heart warm for a little while at the thought of sharing her knowledge with the duckling she had grown to love as a daughter.**

**She fought off a shiver of delight as she imagined herself creating a safe haven for her beloved Drake to come home to since he spent most of his nights fighting criminals. Morgana trembled a little, remembering how instead of reacting badly to her duck tail and the plain white plumage that covered all of her feathered parts, Drake had been totally attracted to her last night. **

**It had been the first time she'd dared to let him see her tail, after all the Monster boys and Mage born had always considered her plain at best and the girls in high school had been even more blunt than that. Drake's honest and open reaction of attraction had been even more than she'd hoped for.**

**After all, it was one thing to beguile someone just to gain a temporary advantage, as she had when she'd first started out as a villainess; it was another thing entirely to open herself to the emotional hurt of rejection from the one Male she'd really wanted and given part of her heart, mind and soul to.**

**Archie moved onto the neckline of Morgana's dress and sent tentatively to Morgana,**_ 'What has you so thoughtful Morgana dearest?'_

**All three familiars knew that Drake's phone call and invitation to join him later at his house had calmed Morgana and the emotional energy they tended to exchange just by speaking was enough to relax her a little.**

**She was still anxious though so Eek chimed in, **_'The three of us are doing better at helping him understand Morgana. Drake is letting you in a lot more and it HAS helped us all.'_

**Squeek added quietly as he snuggled into the crook of her elbow to try and rest, **_'We will be fine; Drake, Dark and Darkwing all help me when he is around Morgana. Gosalyn's spirit is so bright and clean in spite of her losses that when she is near it's like being touched by a Power well.'_

**Really startled by this observation Morgana stroked Squeek gently and coaxed him into flexing his left wing a little so she could rub some ointment into the joints while she asked her familiars, **_**'Do any of you know why I am getting so emotional around Dark and little Gosalyn? I know I need him so badly I ache. Last night was wonderful. Dark's scent on my feathers is something I have dreamed of for weeks. But…WHY am I having so much trouble controlling my reactions?'**_

**As it happened, Archie, Eek and Squeek DID in fact have a few ideas as to what Morgana was going through and why; their problem was how to explain the situation to her in a way that would help and not hurt her feelings.**

**Taking a deep breath Archie started to try and explain what they thought was going on, but just before he began Morgana spun in place and said decisively. "I think I will go to Drake's this evening, if I am going to do that though we'd better get some sleep. Dark might even let me help him cook dinner." **

**Smiling a little at the thought of cooking Normal foods with him she scooped up Archie and kissed him before placing both him and Squeek gently in the soft bed she had made in her night stand drawer. **

**Eek sighed and sent to his brothers very quietly, **_'Maybe its better we don't say anything to Morgana about our theories just yet. Drake IS responding honestly to her and last night I got a flash from him that showed him dreaming about looking for an engagement ring.'_

**Encouraged Squeek chimed in excitedly,**_ 'I don't think that's from anything magical. It's that he want's to commit to her and us officially. His culture really frowns on relationships that are consummated before formal vows are witnessed. And you both know that Monoculo will totally lose it if he thinks Drake even touches Morgana regardless of what she needs or wants.'_

**Archie actually flinched at that and grumbled a little to cover up his reaction as Morgana looked at him in surprise. She had been brushing out her long hair, it was actually very wavy and unless she spelled into the severe up do she usually kept it in, her hair tended to bounce and sway all over itself. **

**Morgana for her part had noticed how much Drake had stroked and touched her hair when it had fallen into its usual messy tangles last night. He had reacted so positively to her hair being down before, she almost regretted having put it back up after he'd left, but maybe tonight she'd leave it down just to see if he'd run his fingers through it again.**

_---_

**Drake for his part was busily cleaning up the remains of breakfast. This time he had a little more help than usual since he'd dragooned Gosalyn into helping with the dishes while LP went to the hardware store to get a drain tube to fix the dishwasher. She hadn't objected that much to his suggestion and with Launchpad gone it was a good time to talk to Gos about what was going on between him and Morgana.**

**Honestly after last night Drake knew that he couldn't put this off much longer anyway, his heart and hormones together were too much to ignore. His feelings were getting stronger and it wasn't fair to keep Morgana waiting, no matter how scared he was; especially since she loved Gosalyn and accepted Launchpad as his brother too. **

**Taking a deep breath Drake decided that this was the best chance he was going to get and started tentatively, "Gos sweetie, how do you feel about Morgana?"**

**Surprised at this question, Gosalyn dropped the plate she had been drying but both she and Drake moved to catch it. Unfortunately that meant that they both missed when they bumped their heads together. Fortunately the plate was a sturdy plastic covered one and didn't break although it did spin on the floor until Drake picked it up and dumped it back into the soapy water. **

**Rubbing her head Gosalyn replied," Ouch, what do you mean Dad? Morgana's totally cool. You know I love all the creepy stuff she has at her house. Archie and Eek and Squeek are the best and since schools been out…."**

**Gosalyn's eye's lit up as her keen mind kicked in. Her voice went up a few decibels as she enthused, "KEEN GEAR! I think you should ask her Dad."**

**Thoroughly startled by the unexpected bump to the head and the quantum jump the conversation had just taken, Drake stopped rubbing his head and blushed.**

**Pulling himself together he asked carefully. "Are you sure you want to include Morgana in our lives always Gos? She'll be your Mom if she marries me you know. You will have to share me, and obey her; even if she tells you parent stuff you don't want to hear."**

**To his surprise Gosalyn laughed and Drake felt his heart give a joyous thump…, thump at the happiness he heard in her voice. **

**Still giggling she offered," We have been over there so much lately that Launchpad and I figured you MUST be getting ready to do SOMETHING. Um…We were right weren't we?" **

**She glanced at him and saw his beak was hanging open. Sighing she reached up to nudge his beak closed and offered, "Oh come on DAD! You didn't really think that how you feel about Morgana is a secret…did you? Launchpad and I are smarter than that, after all, I am your daughter and I have been learning detective stuff for weeks. It would be pretty silly of us NOT to notice, especially with all the changes you have been going through."**

**Getting a hold of himself Drake stuttered, "Changes? What changes are you talking about Gos?"**

**Launchpad spoke up from the doorway that led into the kitchen from the garage and offered as he came in to get his keys, "How about the one where you eat most of Morgana's cooking without making the grossed out faces before you even taste it anymore?"**

**He and Gosalyn exchanged smug grins as he continued, "Or the one where you mostly stopped panicking over how the Muddlefoots were going to react even when Morgana's cousins Blobby AND Clyde came with her to Herb's BBQ the last weekend of school?" **

**Gosalyn chimed in with a grin, "Or how about the one where you almost went to Morgana's instead of on patrol last week? If the police radio hadn't gone off just then with the report about Megavolt holding the hospital's backup generator hostage you KNOW we'd have gone straight to Morgana's for the fourth night in a row."**

**Drake by now was bright red and stuttering but Gosalyn hugged him and Launchpad nudged him on the shoulder and added, "It's okay Drake, you have been totally in love with her for over a year now, it's about time you and she decide just how far you are going with this."**

**---**

_Here is the first part, I am really trying to be more succinct with this story than I was with Hexes & Vexes and make it so it is easy to read by making the chapters shorter. I hope everyone is in character and people enjoy it please read and review if you can, your friend Irual_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Everyone and everything from Disney's cartoons belong to Disney and is used without permission for no money. The original characters belong to me and are used to fill out the population HA! This story happens after my fiction called Hexes & Vexes and follows the continuity of that one in that I have added several new twists but I hope it is enjoyable even without reading that one. **

**Feel free to review or private message me anytime, and please be warned this story does contain plot spoilers for Hexes & Vexes your friend Irual.**

**---**

**Still struggling with the notion that his emotional state wasn't nearly as well…discreet as he'd thought. Drake stared at Gosalyn and Launchpad for a few seconds before blushing again. **

**Taking a deep breath so he wouldn't pass out he sighed and admitted, "You're both right, I've got it bad for Morgana; I didn't realize just how obvious it is I guess."**

**Drake put and arm around Gosalyn and offered a seat to Launchpad as he continued, "I have been trying to get up the guts to tell her how I feel, but first I wanted to talk to you guys. If Morgana says yes…a lot of things will be well…different."**

**Launchpad laughed nervously and ran a hand through his bangs as he removed his ever-present aviators flight cap and said, "Oh boy DW, different is right…he, heh, he. But I have to admit that different can be a very good thing."**

**Drake grinned at Launchpad and started to say something else when the doorbell rang. Launchpad offered, "I'll get it you guys stay here and talk for a bit."**

**To Drake and Gosalyn's surprise Honker Muddlefoot came rushing into the kitchen in a high state of excitement. He was so excited that for once his hesitant stutter was absent. "Gosalyn, I can't believe it. Can you believe it? We are SO lucky. It actually happens this weekend!"**

**Gosalyn grinned at her best friend and said with a smile, "I know Honk. It seems like we have been waiting FOREVER! I bet the fireworks will light up the sky so much we'll still be seeing spots when we get to the National Park. And going camping with the Jr. Woodchucks is sure to be great!"**

**Honker looked startled and then grinned, "Oh yes, the fireworks are going to be awesome…but I was talking about this!"**

**He dragged a large book out of his backpack and flipped through some of the pages. As Honker struggled with his oversized reference book Drake took pity on the duckling and steadied him by grabbing a corner of the tome.**

**Absently he read the title on the cover, "The handy reference guide to astrological phenomena, Honker didn't your grandma get you this for your birthday?"**

**Honker paused in his excited flipping and nodded eagerly, "Yes Mr. Mallard, Sir. And LOOK!"**

**He had found the page he was looking for and proudly displayed to the mystified Mallards a rather dry looking and fairly complex chart. Drake really tried to see what was so special, but reading a specialized chart required that he figure out how to interpret the data and before he could manage it Honker was bouncing excitedly again. **

**His nasally tones were entirely gone as he enthused, "This is a really rare configuration and it only happens every 350 years and we'll be in a perfect spot for stargazing at the National Park. Not only are there small meteor showers all weekend, but the Moon, Jupiter and Venus will be so close and bright that we can see them with the naked eye and we could block out all three of them with this dollar coin. Isn't that AWSOME?? We'll be able to see it all weekend but the best night for viewing is Saturday. That's when they will be closest together." **

**None of the Mallard's knew quite how to react until Honker asked, sounding kind of sad; as though he expected to be disappointed, "You'll all BE there right Mr. Mallard? Even though you and Launchpad will responsible for the Jr. Woodchucks, I wanted to share the Astrology with you guys."**

**Gosalyn took a breath but then her Dad answered Honker determinedly, "Of course we will Honker. You asked for this trip as your reward for doing so well in science this year and since you and Gos are best friends; we were honored when your family invited us." **

**He gave Gosalyn a LOOK and asked pointedly, "Right Gosalyn?"**

**She stared at him for a second before agreeing, "Of course DAD! I've been preparing for this trip for two weeks; I have toilet paper and candy bars enough for a week stashed in the car. Honk and I won't starve. I've even thought up a few surprises for Huey, Dewy, Louie and Pinky." **

**Drake looked affronted and demanded, "Candy bars! Gosalyn, there's no need to be concerned about starving. You are going to be with a 'great outdoorsman' and I'll teach you all about living off the land. You remember our last camping trip don't you? I am a veritable fountain of knowledge. And her name is WEBBIGAIL Gosalyn Mallard, I expect you to be nice to her."**

**He got a very stern fatherly look in his eyes as he continued, "She joined the Woodchucks so she could be with you and Honker and do some of the things Huey, Dewy and Louie are always excluding her from. And another thing, you are a natural leader, it won't kill you to make sure the others include her Gos; at least part of the time okay?"**

**Launchpad laughed, "Sure thing little Honkman. We wouldn't miss it. And since you signed up to be my assistant Woodchuck Guide, I'll really be glad of your help to keep an eye on everyone DW. There will be our fifteen Woodchucks and the ten from Duckburg and only four official adults. I'm sure the Muddlefoots will help too though."**

**Gosalyn sighed and muttered, "I wish we could miss the port-a-potty and the nasty leaches though, they aren't nearly as cool as the alien ones from the late night movie marathons."**

**Honker had perked up upon receiving this conformation that the Mallards were looking forward to the trip and sharing his interest in astrology, he smiled shyly at Drake and said. "My mom has been really great about this; she even got me a new telescope. I've downloaded star charts and my Dad has promised to keep Tank away from my stuff, even when we are with the Woodchucks so I am really looking forward to this trip."**

**Hesitantly he added, "My Mom and Dad love me, but you guys let me be me without feeling bad about being different and I really want to share this with you."**

**Gosalyn got up to hug Honker and offered, "If Tank tries any funny business I'll sock him for you Honker, the big ape." **

**Drake sighed and frowned at Gosalyn who stuck her tongue out at her dad and winked at him. Touched by Honker's admission of caring, Drake ruffled the duckling's head feathers gently and offered. "We love you Honker, I know it's hard for you sometimes; but together we'll get through anything. Even a weekend with twenty five Woodchucks, Tank and all the coconut burgers we can eat. I hope your dad won't mind that all those Woodchucks are going to be camping along with us. We are supposed to be earning spelunking badges in the caves. Say, LP do you think we should rent a few telescopes and offer stargazing badges too?"**

**Launchpad grinned and nodded, "That's a great idea. I'll go to the Woodchuck's store on the internet and order the badges and beads we'll need for all the kids. We can rent extra camping stuff and telescopes too from the New Gander outlet store." **

**Honker smiled shyly, beaming with delight at having contributed to the Woodchuck's badge count and jumped as his cell phone went off. He answered it, "Hello? Oh Hi Mom, yes the GPS is working. I'm over at the Mallards, I was showing them the chart….I'll ask okay, I love you too Mom."**

**Honker smiled shyly as he put his black and purple cell phone back into it's holder on his backpack. It matched the one Gosalyn usually carried in her sock and DW's and Launchpad's. Some of the things Darkwing had requested when he'd agreed to the team of the Justice Duck's becoming an official government auxiliary were communications equipment for all of them, upgrades to the lair and to their protective costumes. **

**Honker had practically burst with pride when he (as Bolt) and Gosalyn (as Quiverwing) had been named official apprentice members in a ceremony that had been held at S.H.U.S.H. just after school had let out for the summer.**

**The only bad thing was he had been unable to think of a way to get his parents to attend; since he had yet to explain about his being Bolt to his family. Mr. Mallard had offered to confess to his being Darkwing so he could explain everything to them, but every time they had attempted to do so, SOMETHING had interfered. **

**Everything from a crime wave of still unsolved jewelry heists and an extensive art forgery con by Splatter Phoenix to Mr. Mallard's being occupied with lessons from Morgana about her home and culture. **

**Honestly though, Honker had to admit he liked those too especially since it not only gave him a whole new area of knowledge to explore; but it meant that through Morgana, he now had access to nearly any recorded knowledge the Monster realm had records of sooner or later, thanks to the network of Magical librarians and Bookworms.**

**Since the people from Morgana's home were starting to pay attention to the wider world again Honker had helped the Quackmoronicon and Castle Macabre's bookworm begin to cross-reference electronic data too. Honker had in fact been fascinated by the bookworm's version of a computer terminal.**

**The strange partially living creation had in fact been part of the inspiration for his newest experimental firewalls, that and Mr. Mallard's parental filters and safeguards that DW had installed to protect him and Gosalyn on the internet.**

**Once old Scrooge had been told the whole story about how his data had been saved from being hacked and stolen back in mid May, he'd even offered to market Darkwing's parental safeguards; for a cut of course. DW had been startled and admitted that saving children from online predators was what he cared most about since he was a parent. **

**He'd actually been a little hesitant about the business side of the deal since he had been really flattered by McDuck's interest and his ego tended to confuse his thinking. Honker knew what nether Drake or Gosalyn did though, after some shall we say 'encouragement' from his secretary, Fenton, Gizmoduck, Duckworth and Gyro among others Mr. McDuck had set up a college fund and trust for both Honker and Darkwing's children not just Gosalyn. **

**Thanks to the first generation of their firewall, the fund was starting out with a fairly hefty balance and S.H.U.S.H. had become a silent partner in the venture too since he and Huey had shown Gyro and an elite G.E.E.K. squad just what it could do. With Quiverwing and Darkwing acting as backup Honker and Huey had kept them out and turned their own programs against them to cripple their machines, before ripping apart the defenses G.E.E.K. had set up as a test.**

**That canny old businessduck had seen how much Morgana and DW cared for each other, and he figured there would be more than one child to care for sooner or later. He'd also made arrangements with Fenton to make sure Drake and Honker were compensated for their civilian sides mostly since Darkwing's parental watchdog software had been a huge hit and been reverse engineered by four competing companies. **

**The experimental firewalls were being kept strictly top secret for now the only private company that had them was McDuck Enterprises, but given Huey and the other ducklings' involvement that was only fair. **

**Director Hooter had told Honker at the ceremony at S.H.U.S.H. that he could count on any number of government research positions or even a senior position in G.E.E.K., if he or Huey or the other ducklings wanted them, when they were old enough; but for now Scrooge's great nephews were being kept as ignorant as possible about Hero side of things for their own safety. Honker had also found out that all six of the duckling's Scrooge was raising were being monitored to ensure no one thought they would be easy marks for kidnapping or anything.**

**Both he and Gosalyn had been very glad of that since they had become friends with all of the ducklings and had even met them in person. Not just during that adventure in mid May, but they had all gotten together for the Jr. Woodchuck recruitment drive and campout jamboree just after school let out for the summer and that had been three weeks ago. Their first joint camping trip between the Duckburg troop and the newest St. Canard troop was this weekend too.**

**Gosalyn bounced excitedly, her eyes were shining with some secret but before Honker could work up the courage to ask her what she was so excited about, She gave her dad a squeeze and then asked curiously, "What did your Mom want Honker?"**

**Startled He grinned and said, "Oh yes, Mr. Mallard…My Mom is packing so we can load the RV for the trip when dad brings it from the rental lot. He's getting the jumbo deluxe mansion on wheels this time. She is going shopping for food since she isn't convinced that men can cook.**

**She knows you and Launchpad are the Leaders of our troop but she's bringing enough food for all the Woodchucks and our family and yours and she want's me to ask if you are planning on bringing anyone with you besides Launchpad and Gosalyn."**

**To Honker's surprise Drake turned beet red and cleared his throat, "Thank your Mom for me Honker, Um…" Drake ran a nervous hand through the thick layers of feathers on his head and coughed uncomfortably. "Does EVERYONE know about me and Morgana?"**

**Honker looked startled and stuttered, "Well, it's just…"**

**Launchpad jumped in with a good-natured smile, "Honkman didn't mean anything DW; he doesn't know what we were talking about. You KNOW Binkie, she'd feed the whole city at their BBQ's if she could.**

**He held out a rain poncho and offered, "Why don't you take a little walk and think things through for a bit DW?"**

**Drake got a determined look on his face and said, "No LP I think I'll go for a ride in the car instead. You kids be good for Launchpad and NO tearing up the house Gos. Morgana might come by this evening and if she does I don't want to have to explain burn marks and holes in the walls or floor or ceiling. And Keep the furniture AND Launchpad in one piece Okay?"**

**He kissed Gosalyn and before Launchpad or anyone else could say a word he marched firmly out the front door into the foggy drizzle.**

**Just as Launchpad's beak opened and Gosalyn's and Honker's closed, Drake marched back inside and went to the garage door. Taking his keys off the hook beside the door and tucking his wallet firmly in his sweater pocket he opened the connecting door and spun on his heels to say very firmly, "NOT a Word, you hear me? Not one WORD or I'll ground all of you for the week."**

**Complete silence reigned in the kitchen as his family stared at him before he sighed and turned red again before going to start the car.**

**They heard the car drive off and Honker asked weakly, "What did I SAY?"**

**Launchpad grinned and offered, "It's nothing Honker, DW's just stressed because he want's to ask Morgana to marry him and he's scared."**

**Honker's beak dropped open and he grinned, "That's great isn't it Gosalyn? You said since you guys were spending so much time with her that you thought something was bound to happen soon…."**

**Gosalyn snorted and dragged Honker into the living room to turn on the gaming console, "I don't know why he's so scared. Morgana loves him and he loves her; I sure hope he asks her soon though. When Dad get's worked up like this he usually makes me clean my room and I already did that."**

**Suddenly not that interested in playing Wiffle Boy she offered, "Do you want to watch Dad for a few minutes Honk? He's driving in the foggy rain and distracted, he might get into trouble."**

**Honker was not so secretly fascinated by Magic and was dying to see Gosalyn's globe again so he grinned and said, "Sure Gosalyn, let me just call my Mom. I'll tell her that your Dad said he was going for a drive and I'll ask him again when he gets back. That way I won't get my astrology book wet either."**

**Launchpad grinned as he took over the TV. Since Gos and Honker were going to be looking in her globe, he could watch one of his favorite Pelican's Island reruns before he went to start looking for DW. **

**One of the really neat things they had now was GPS positioning for the phones and they could all connect, although you had to use a DNA scanner to unlock the function. Launchpad would give his best friend and younger brother a few minutes to calm down. Then they could talk about things for a bit.**

**Honestly Launchpad HAD expected something of an emotional eruption from Drake when he FINNALLY decided to face his feelings. Having gotten used to the high energy and dramatics Drake and Gos tended to display, LP had already determined a plan of action. **

**Until DW calmed a little and got over his emotional overload he wouldn't want to discuss what he really needed, much less admit what he wanted to himself; or anyone else. Launchpad grinned to himself as he watched Gosalyn leap down the last two steps that led up to the second floor. She had her snow globe of St. Canard in her hand and she and Honker camped out on the couch. **

**Turning on the light beside the sofa Honker peered into the sparkling depths of the toy as Gosalyn shook it vigorously and explained, "I can't always make it work Honk, but we have to concentrate on what we want to see. In this case it's Dad, and since we know he's dressed as Drake Mallard and in the car, we should be sure and picture that too." **

**The light from the lamp shone steadily into the globe and made the Chain wrapped around her wrist sparkle as she sat the toy securely on the end table. She grabbed Honker's hand and made him grasp the base firmly with his right hand so she could grab it with her left. Launchpad was proud that he didn't tense up or jump even though the scene in the globe shifted dizzily and began to zoom in on the temporary detour that had been set up to allow people to go into the city proper from the suburbs.**

**Launchpad was actually getting a lot more comfortable with the little surprises that were popping up now. Morgana and her familiars had been coming over at least once a week since she and Drake had figured out that Squeek gained ground in healing his injuries if he spent time here or if Drake held him. This was particularly so if they had been apart for more than a couple of days. **

**Morgana had even brought two of her cousins, Blobby and Clyde to the BBQ three weeks ago, while Morgana made no secret about her origins and was discreet when she used her magic, Launchpad HAD noticed that she seemed to be dealing with a lot of emotional hurt and uncertainty. She had never seemed to display these kinds of insecurities before; most likely it was from Squeek's still being hurt after all this time.**

**Envy and Spite didn't dare try and contact Drake directly since they hadn't been invited to St. Canard, so they had secretly started talking to Launchpad in his bathroom mirror. When the twin sister and brother had first shown up and tried to talk to him, he had nearly fallen in the tub as he'd gotten tangled in the modesty curtain. **

**They had been very forthright and polite, and despite the fact they had caught him soaking wet and very much distracted; they had made up for their accidental intrusion by calling back, this time in his bedroom mirror and trying to answer his questions as best they could in exchange for anything he would tell them about himself, Drake or Gosalyn.**

**In honesty Launchpad had been very suspicious at first but he hadn't exactly dared to refuse them outright and so had been very stressed until he had talked to Drake a couple of days later and Drake had actually told him about how worried he was for Morgana and her threesome. Drake had even told Launchpad that he wished he had a way to contact Morgana's family in case they could help her somehow. **

**This had dovetailed suspiciously well with Lucidia's first visit to the Mallard residence, but given how much better both Drake and Morgana were now than they had been a few weeks ago; Launchpad wasn't going to complain.**

**Envy and Spite had explained to Launchpad that Morgana's family was very worried about her since Squeek was not healing as they had hoped, and that meant that Morgana too was not entirely recovered from her hurts. They had also fairly oozed sincerity about being in favor of Drake and Morgana even though Morgana was being understandably standoffish. Lucidia and Mintaka came and went openly to Morgana and had even visited the Mallard house several times since then, but quite a few of the other Macabre's had made overtures to Launchpad in an attempt to discreetly mend fences so to speak.**

**Drake still had the occasional nightmare about the whole incident at Castle Macabre. Even with his previous poor experiences though, Drake liked and trusted Lucidia and Mintaka. After all, they could have left him crippled or worse; and instead they had not only healed him AND Gosalyn, but they had helped Lafayette's victims both in St. Canard and Duckburg.**

**It was thanks to them, and the Magic Council that Quackerjack and Liquidator had recovered from their enslavement, along with his other victims. Negaduck had even been impressed by the Council Wardens who had come to take what was left of Lafayette back to the Monster realm. **

**Being the go between for Morgana's gaggle of relations and their desire for reconciliation HAD threatened to overwhelm Launchpad at first. After Mintaka and Grimm had come to visit just about at the end of May though, the all hours, all access; magical intrusions had stopped except for Mintaka, Lucidia, Envy and Spite; and they were careful not to be too intrusive, polite, and careful not to involve Drake in ways that would frighten him or Gosalyn.**

**This was a huge relief since Launchpad had been getting almost no sleep and no piece of mind and he had begun to dread being around nearly any reflective surface anywhere in the house, car or lair; at least if Drake or Gosalyn were not around. As near as he could figure out from his talks with Mintaka almost any reflective surface could hold an image the really strongly Talented Mage born could use to communicate with, although most were too small or too distorted to make really good spell foci.**

**What had really surprised Launchpad the most though was just how many of Morgana's relatives were strong enough to use almost anything reflective to talk to him. Usually they would have had to had something of his to use to focus on him, but for reason's none of the Macabre Mages had yet to divulge, they all seemed to have an open channel to 537 Avian Way and everything associated with it.**

**Mintaka had grimaced when Launchpad had brought that up and reluctantly admitted that one of the reasons people in his culture were against relationships like the one between Drake and Morgana was the fear that intermarrying with Normals would weaken family lines of Power.**

**Grimm had grumbled from his sprawl on the carpet as he drank several pints of half and half and Mintaka had swiftly reassured Launchpad that there was plenty of support for these kinds of things too. They were all pretty much being forced to admit to their need for a bigger gene pool, even if they didn't want to. **

**While Launchpad reflected on how much his perspective about Monster kind and Mage born and real MAGIC had undergone revision in the past few months he happened to glance back over at the snow globe and saw that Gos and Honker were having some success. It was showing them the image of Drake Mallard, average citizen driving slowly down the street looking for a parking space.**

**Gosalyn squealed with excitement as she saw her Dad park outside one of the malls that clustered around the municipal park just over the bridge. "Keen Geer Honker, do you think Dad is going to get some cool camping gadgets?"**

**Looming in the image was the Gander Outlet store, which made her question logical; but Launchpad recalled that Drake had no idea he was being spied on. He cleared his throat and mentioned pointedly, "You know Gos; your Dad might not want you to spy on him."**

**Both Gosalyn and Honker jumped guiltily and when they let go of the base of the globe its scene returned to the large suspension bridge and a small cityscape surrounded by tiny areas representing the suburbs. **

**Honker gaped in shocked delight as he felt a tiny tingle as he let go. Peering into the globe he realized that the image of the bridge wasn't the pristine mighty attraction that appeared so prominently on tourism adds and postcards, but a more real life image that actually showed the repair equipment, barges and crews working to repair the landmark. To his delighted amazement he could even see the McDuck enterprises logos on the barges and cranes from the spotlights and light fixtures. He gaped as he saw a matte black military helicopter emblazoned with the S.H.U.S.H. shield and logo circle the towers as the crews were being evacuated because of the poor visibility and dangerous fog.**

**He whispered in awe, "Gos…Launchpad, do you SEE that? It's a real time window."**

**Gosalyn shrugged and said calmly, "It IS totally cool, but using it does have a couple of downside's that our phones don't Honker…"**

**He looked at Gosalyn in surprise as both their stomachs growled; she fought off a yawn and said. "I'm always hungry if I look too long and now I'm sleepy too, can we order pizza Launchpad?"**

**Honker realized he too was very sleepy and he decided reluctantly to head for home. His mom would have left lunch in the refrigerator and a nap would be nice. Once she came back from grocery shopping, there would be no resting for any of the Muddlefoots until everything was organized just as his mother wanted it. **

**Honker admitted in his more logical moments that organization was definitely a key to success, especially considering the scale of his mother's cooking plans for the weekend. Still being sleepy would only make things worse so after saying goodbye to Gosalyn and Launchpad Honker went to take a much needed nap.**

**---**

**Meanwhile across the bridge, Drake was wavering between the Gander Outlet store and a jeweler. Forcing himself to focus he marched into the Gander Store and a short time later emerged with several boxes holding small used telescopes and a few other useful outdoor activities and tools. He'd also rented some head lamps and bought chalk and large spools of very strong line to use to help teach basic cave exploration to the Woodchucks.**

**Sighing with relief at seeing that the fog and rain were letting up, he put his purchases in the car. As he prepared to go back home, he found himself glancing again at the jeweler and bowing to Fates desires; and his own, he decided that it couldn't possibly hurt to look and went into the store.**

**Unfortunately for Drake, these were famous last words or thoughts as the case may be. He was looking quietly in the ring display and debating about disturbing the three gossiping clerks and asking them about the price range, when a trio of ski mask wearing black clad robbers ran in brandishing semi automatic weapons. Naturally he started to foil these evil doers, but he froze realizing he was dressed in his Drake Mallard clothes.**

**The trio shoved the customers and clerks to the center of the store and one of the robbers held his weapon on them as the other two smashed open the cases and dumped jewelry into their loot bags. **

**Before he could figure a way to escape and become Darkwing so he could apprehend these criminals, Drake was forced to catch one of the clerks who fainted as the crook holding his gun on them fired into the security cameras and threatened the hostages. Drake's heart rate went up and he felt a surge of energy flood him and all his feathers fluffed just a touch. **

**He realized that the Chain under his sweater had activated in response to…something. What he wasn't sure but he could feel those strange sensations he'd been learning about with Morgana fluttering at the edges of his consciousness.**

**Back at Morgana's house, she was sleeping deeply, tucked into her large four poster bed; when her dreams turned dark and her mindscape filed with foreboding. Archie, Eek and Squeek were agitated as her emotional distress reached them and they scrambled to touch Morgana directly without any cloth to interfere. **

**Concerned, Archie crouched at the base of Morgana's neck and sank his feet deeply into her soft feathers. As he settled into a solid stance he braced himself and reached for the connection they had with Drake and little Gosalyn.**

**He found the duckling safely at home. She had just finished half a pepperoni pizza and was snuggling sleepily under her blanket for a nap; but she DID stir a little and look around as she sensed Archie's touch. The Chain on her left wrist glowed faintly but there was nothing to disturb her anywhere within range of Archie's SIGHT or SENSES.**

**Swiftly he backed off and whispered to Squeek,**_ 'Quickly brother, keep an eye on the little one while Eek and I reach for Drake. With you to anchor her, and Eek to safeguard our Morgana; I can at least try to help him.'_

**Squeek crawled awkwardly along a line Archie had left him that trailed from the soft nest in the drawer and ended anchored on Morgana's nightgown. Because his healing was tied to Drake, Gosalyn, and to a lesser extent to Launchpad, Squeek could be far more subtle than either of his brothers and still be effective. Squeek braced himself as he crawled painfully over to Morgana, he panted for a few precious seconds and then linked carefully to the little duckling's aura. **

**He mused as he kept watch; his healing was the same idea as Gosalyn's birthday gifts really, the more she used the globe, and practiced not just focusing her will and imagination through it, but discovered it's other little surprises; the sharper and more defined her skills and senses would become. **

**Drake would benefit too eventually, IF Gosalyn got him to play with her and her shiny way fun present. And both of them would get more and more used to and sensitive to their extra senses as they helped him heal.**

**Eek silently agreed as the two bats focused on keeping their respective females safe, and sleeping; Mintaka was a highly skilled and experienced Mage; after all and he'd helped Lucidia raise and train Envy and Spite so he understood how young things needed the time, and trial and error learning involved in childhoods' protected arena to learn. Unfortunately Drake was already a parent and too old to accept that kind of coddling without an extreme excuse so the Spell Chain(s) were the best learning tool/ protection he had been able to come up with on the spur of the moment as it were for both the adults. **

**If something bad DID happen to Drake, then of course, the bonds from the Chains would override the gossamer spell veil that the bats were holding. Morgana would waken to help her mate and Gosalyn would rouse Drake's Normal allies to go to his aid. But IF Archie could help Drake from here or at least maintain the bond then there was no need to awaken anyone just yet. **

**Archie reasoned it this way, Morgana had already decided to go to Drake tonight anyway. IF he was seriously considering making their mating vows formal soon, then there were preparations to make for both the Normals and the Monster realm and all three familiars had already been subjected to a fairly exhaustive crash course in both areas thanks to Morgana's frustration over Drake's physical shyness and his nervousness about her reactions. **

**Archie mused to himself as he stretched his awareness over the city and found Drake in a shopping mall. Morgana had actually researched Normal mating customs, vows and ceremonies and had discovered there were a bewildering variety of variations on the theme. As far as she knew though, Drake was a fairly mainstream oriented duck and she had seen him talking before with the chaplain that was responsible for helping S.H.U.S.H. personnel with their questions and problems of a personal nature.**

**As she had gotten more and more frustrated and miserable, she HAD wondered if maybe Drake had a cultural reason for driving her mad with frustration, so she had worked a very gentle and subtle dream weaving a few weeks ago and asked that same fellow Father Daniel; a great many questions. **

**Admittedly she didn't agree with most of his answers, but she HAD come away with the impression that formal, public, vow taking was essential in an honorable mating for Normals. This in and of itself wasn't a problem to her; the ceremonies from home were essentially as complex and simple as the Normals versions.**

**Being the heir to the Macabre Name and titles meant that she had been raised to expect a formal bonding after all, and many of the elements were similar. But STILL… if Drake didn't ask her soon, then tradition be darned, she was going to ask him! And make entirely sure that his saying NO would only happen if he truly didn't intend to be her mate.**

**Archie chuckled to himself as he recalled that particular night of pacing and planning, but then he froze as he realized that while Drake had indeed gone into a store that sold jewelry, he was in fact in a fairly bad way.**

**At least he was unhurt physically, and as Archie LOOKED at Drake with his other sight he observed the Spell Chain and how it was reacting to the dangers surrounding its wearer.**

**The Chain's energy surged and flashed to other sight as it tried to both influence Drake and invoke protections for him. Drake meanwhile was actually attempting to get out from under the second clerk to faint on him.**

**He'd tried to crawl unnoticed under a display and get behind the counters. This plan had actually melded well with the Chains' protective spells so he had made it around the corner of the main display case. **

**The robbers had already smashed it open and dumped most of the contents and moved to the other areas of the store. However, all was not smooth sailing for our hero, unfortunately; the third clerk who was also the assistant manager, had attempted to hit the silent alarm button on the edge of the glass case. At the same time, she had hit her head on the edge of the case ducking instinctively away from the gunfire that had taken out the obvious video cameras.**

**She was a dainty looking little pup of a girl and likely as short as Drake without her heels, but she had reacted well; keeping her cool and managing to be overlooked in the first few vital seconds as her co-workers were herded shrieking to the center of the store.**

**He needed to get out of sight and change into his hero costume. Drake Mallard was no match for gun toting baddies after all, nonetheless his usual weird karma kicked in at that moment. He knew this because, just as he was starting to change into his costume; the assistant manager woke up from her bout of unconsciousness and misinterpreted his being behind the counter and pulling a mask out from under his sweater. Instead of thinking he was trying to stop the crime, she thought he was involved somehow.**

**Poor Drake was forced to try and outmaneuver the manager as she shrieked and coldcocked one of the robbers entirely by accident. Drake had dodged her flailing, spike heeled shoe with frantic haste. As near as he could tell, being only a befuddled male it wasn't really clear mind; She had come to and taken off her fashionable footwear to use as her weapon of choice. The Spell Chain flared to Archie's SIGHT as it tried to activate a shield; Drake's not being a Mage meant that the Chain was responding as though it had a lot more energy available to it than it did. **

**Truly concerned he linked with his brothers to show them what was happening, and because they were so far away; and didn't dare take the chance that something might happen to Morgana or Gosalyn, they weren't fast enough to supply the Spell Chain with any Power.**

**Drake had sensed someone behind him and spun around just as her fist descended and had fended her off. Unfortunately for them both, she was vocal and determined; and the other two robbers noticed her beating away at SOMEONE as their compatriot fell to the floor when the heel of the shoe connected with his temple. Fortunately Darkwing DID keep his head and stayed below the level of the counter since the only part of his costume he'd started to put on was the purple mask.**

**She was probably a very nice person under different circumstances and her wavy brown fur complimented her long dangly ears and fashionable pale pink outfit but since she was trying to pound Drake's head in, he really wasn't in a position to appreciate her, no doubt; finer qualities.**

**Desperate, Drake twisted and pulled the frightened lady under the case blocking her away from the criminals and their guns. Pulling the long length of black cloth out of the broken case he covered her face as one of the crooks fired into the sides of the display and glass showered them both with glass shards of all sizes. To the shock of all three familiars, they saw the chain throw an ethereal veil over Drake's aura. It didn't appear to do anything other than to shimmer until the crook smashed the glass over him and the manager. They saw it deflect the shards breaking several larger ones into lighter pieces and shifting bits of glass, changing the angles and trajectories as they hit his body. **

**They realized then that the Chain was acting to minimize any damage to Drake, and to a lesser extent the woman under him since his aura shifted and flexed as he moved to cover her vulnerable face. **

**Drake hissed as he felt slivers of glass sliding among his feathers but there was no pain or wetness from blood so he shook himself to try and clear his protective plumage while the manager held herself rigidly under the cloth. He realized that she was in danger of being badly cut by a large piece of glass that was stuck upright into the cloth, even more worrisome though, was the bright blood that leaked out from under the velvet. **

**Whispering reassuringly he said, "Don't move and I'll help you."**

**As he was carefully pulling the glass from the hole, he peeled back the velvet and saw a large gash on her leg. Ignoring the sounds of the police mopping up after themselves as they dragged the unconscious crook from the floor on the other side of the ruined display; Drake applied direct pressure to the cut using his wadded mask as a makeshift bandage. **

**A deep voice asked tensely, "Get away from her and put your hands behind your head."**

**Then he felt a gun barrel nudge his shoulder, sighing he carefully said, "I surrender, but if I let go she might bleed to death." **

**The now openly stunned familiars could only stare as they saw the Chain work a very subtle and gentle compulsion spell to influence the people around Drake.**

**The manager gasped and her tear stained face appeared as a policeman jumped the counter and swiftly had his partner help him lift the cloth away from her. **

**A startled oath was swiftly followed by an EMT crew who worked to get them out of the glass as the police took Drake's statement. To his surprise, mall security, most of whom were also off duty police officers; had responded to the silent alarm and come to the store in a large vigorous group. Most of whom appeared to have had their sense of humor removed before being allowed in public. **

**In spite of his usual luck with the official forces of Law and Order in St. Canard, Drake managed to convince them that he was an innocent shopper caught in the chaos as he was looking for an engagement ring for his girl. His beet red blush at this admission, and the fact that the manager had been given a mild sedative and taken away in an ambulance for emergency stitches gave credence to his story.**

**Only Eek, Squeek and Archie noticed that the compulsion smoothed the way for Drake to avoid being detained and even though he had blood on his sweater none of the emergency crews stopped him from leaving. Before any of them thought to hold him for further questioning he made good on his escape, being sure to take his mask so there would be no evidence that he was anything other than a concerned citizen.**

**As a result of the Chains efforts, instead of sustaining fairly serious wounds like the managers, and having to go to the hospital to be x rayed for glass shards and stitched up; Drake had shaken the debris from his slightly tatty coat of feathers and swiftly faded into the gathered crowd to get back to his family. **

**Archie disengaged his other sight and looked at his brothers in shock,**_ 'What exactly IS going on?' _

**His brothers could give him no answers, worried he nudged the tiny piece of Morgana's Chain that showed under her ladylike pajamas. It had begun to send out very small tingles of Power when the familiars had linked and all three of them could SEE that the Chain was pulsing faintly. **

**Morgana had stirred a bit in her sleep as Drake's Chain had done its work, but now that he was safely on his way home; she settled deeply into her sleep pattern again. She would likely sleep until about four and then dress to go to Drake's.**

**While she slept Archie and the bats continued to examine the Chain but all they could tell was that it was firmly attached to her, it was protective, benign, VERY Powerful and for some reason, growing and changing. Not changing its intent just it's depth and intensity. Since none of them could discover anything wrong or negative in the change, all three familiars settled to wait for Morgana to awaken.**

**---**

_Here is the next part, I hope it works well and that everyone likes it._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All the characters that are from Disney cartoons belong to Disney. I am making NO money from this story; I am just getting it out of my head on onto the internet. Any original characters are mine and are used to fill out the plot and hopefully tell a good story.**

**This story happens about six weeks or so after my fan fiction called Hexes & Vexes and follows the continuity therein. This means that there are a few little things (and not so little things) in these stories that are not from the cartoon. I am making an effort to try and be a lot shorter with this plot since Hexes & Vexes has taken on a life of its own and is VERY long. Enjoy and Please Review if possible thank you, your friend Irual.**

**---**

**Drake Mallard drove home from the mall in a pensive mood. He wasn't really paying much attention to the weather since the foggy drizzle had cleared up. The thing that was occupying his thoughts just now was the strange occurrences that he'd just been through. He was used to injury, physical violence and the aftermath of such things by now…after all he'd been a lone wolf, fighting crime on the streets of the city; for nearly two years before he'd confronted Taurus Bulba and then adopted/been adopted by, Launchpad and Gosalyn almost a year and a half ago.**

**He'd been in plenty of scrapes, fights and even a lot of really dangerous situations in just the last few months alone and what had happened at the mall was definitely NOT ordinary. Even discounting the strange tingles that had run through his body and shifted his feathers, his lack of injury from the shower of glass was really strange. Not that he WANTED to be hurt…but he just didn't understand what had happened, and that bothered him. He really didn't like not being in control, it tended to dredge up a lot of bad feelings and memories he usually could only ignore when he was on an adrenaline high and occupied with action or a truly challenging mental puzzle such as he got when he was solving a mysterious case.**

**Granted, he thought of himself as the caped and masked crime fighter and government operative Darkwing Duck more than Drake Mallard, average duck and as such he handled really…unusual stuff most of the time. But he wasn't used to having strange things happen to him in his civilian disguise, part of the reason he had resurrected his mild mannered suburban identity was to avoid that kind of thing around his family. He forcibly got a hold of himself and focused on the neighborhood, ignoring the slight shivers that made him tighten his grip on the steering wheel.**

**As he approached his fairly modest home, he smiled in spite of himself as he saw his next door neighbors, the Muddlefoots; filling their garage with what looked like enough food to supply a regiment. Given what Honker had said earlier, Mrs. Muddlefoot was planning on feeding all the Jr. Woodchucks as well as her family and his. From past experience, he knew how futile it was to attempt to dissuade Mrs. Muddlefoot from her course once she'd decided to do something. **

**It was actually one of the things about her that reminded him a little of Morgana since they shared the same determination and dedication to those they cared about. Knowing this, Drake gritted his teeth as Herb called over, "Hi ya' neighbor…"**

**Herb came over and tried to 'help' but in order to keep the blood stain from showing Drake struggled to keep hold of the boxes. **

**Drake managed to keep one box and held it awkwardly over his sweater and hurried toward his front door, "I'll send Launchpad right out for that Herb…"**

**Sternly suppressing a yawn he tried to hurry inside to change. As he attempted to turn the door handle the door opened. He fell inside the front door, face first on the box of spelunking supplies as Launchpad heard the tussle and came to see what was going on. **

**Launchpad looked in surprise at Drake as he struggled to get up without revealing the state of his clothes to Herb. As he moved he could also feel a few tiny slivers of glass sliding among his feathers and that worried him. **

**Those little bits of glass hadn't cut his skin on the way home, but they needed to be cleaned out of his plumage. They were damaging the barbs and quills of his plumage as they worked their way around his coat of feathers and he already had a lot of damaged ones from his recent adventures. **

**Since he had become adult, he had molted several times a year and that had replaced damaged feathers before it became a problem. He knew that Molts were triggered by several different signals, his was usually stress and since he needed his feathers replaced a lot, he had never been concerned but…his feathers were in truly bad shape and he could even feel where his down was being exposed to the cooler air from the air conditioner as it blew from the vent above the door and that worried him since it meant his feathers were VERY thin. He was going to have to do some research and try and find out what he could do to encourage new feathers to come in…. He sighed to himself, visions of quack cures for premature baldness and skin irritations being dumped in their mail box and closets overwhelmed him for a moment, then he glanced up his view of Launchpad's boots and he tried to smile. **

**He said in a normal enough tone, "Hi LP I got some of the supplies we'll need to help the kids earn their badges while I was out."**

**As Launchpad helped him up and saw his sweater, his eyes opened wide for a second then he swiftly moved to block Herb's view whispering, "You okay DW?"**

**Drake nodded reassuringly and said, "sure thing LP, listen, Herb was just helping me with the telescopes and stuff…I think we should put them in the garage until we pack the car on Friday."**

**Launchpad nodded and moved to take Herb into the garage to set down the boxes. As Drake got up Gosalyn slid madly tail first down the banister and ended up landing on her dad as he sat the spelunking box by the closet. "Oof!"**

**Energized by her nap and happy that Drake was home Gos sang out, "HI Dad, what did you get at the mall?"**

**She hoped off of his tattered tail and when she reached to help him up, she realized that his sweater was full of little snags and holes. Concerned now she pulled at him to help him upright and upon seeing the blood splattered on him she gasped and all the blood flowed from her face as she paled in shock.**

**Desperate and terrified she grabbed him and tried to feel his stomach. "DAD, Why aren't you at the hospital? What happened? LAUNCHPAD come quick!"**

**Hurriedly Drake grabbed her and shushed her, to keep Herb from hearing her panic and becoming more involved than he already was; "I'm not hurt Gos I promise. I was looking in a store and I had to help a lady that was hurt by broken glass. GOSALYN, Listen to me Sweetheart. It's NOT my blood, okay?" **

**Still frightened she clung to him and yipped as a little piece of glass cut her fingers. Concerned now Drake shook off another impulse to yawn and gestured to his feathers speaking gently and calmly to penetrate her fear; "I guess I need to comb my feathers to make sure I get all the bits of glass out."**

**He kissed her forehead and offered a hand, "We need to make sure your cuts are clean so come on Gos and I'll prove I'm not as hurt as you now okay?"**

**Launchpad came in and nodded, "I got Herb to leave the boxes in the garage, and Binkie wants to talk to you Drake. What happened?"**

**Sighing Drake offered, Let me just fix Gosalyn's fingers and if you put a sheet down in the bathroom for me LP I'll comb out what's left of my feathers and once all the glass is gone I'll explain I promise…but I'm NOT hurt. The lady at the jewelry store was hit with broken glass and I had to help her. It's her blood on the sweater… and on me evidently."**

**Drake added that last bit as he carefully inspected Gosalyn's hand and applied antiseptic and band aids in the kitchen. She was trembling just a little and wordlessly she gestured to the front of his chest, the blood was staining his soft feathers at the neckline of the sweater where it had splashed onto his peach shirt.**

**Reassuringly he smiled and kissed her fingers over the bandages. I promise Gos, I'll just go comb out my feathers and I'll show you. Just then there was a knock on the door. Hurriedly Drake offered, "I can't let the Muddlefoots see me like this Launchpad. Keep Binkie busy and I'll be down as quick as I can okay?"**

**He rushed up the stairs to the bathroom and called over his shoulder, "I owe you a big favor LP."**

**Launchpad hurriedly went to take the most likely ruined sweater to the laundry to soak and asked, "Could you let Mrs. Muddlefoot in Gos? I'll slip Drake's shirt in the laundry too as soon as he finishes in the bathroom."**

**Sighing, Gosalyn nodded, "Okay Launchpad." **

**As she reached for the doorknob though, she thought for a second her bracelet was tingling like it did when she played with her snow globe; and for some reason she didn't think it was Mrs. Muddlefoot on the other side of the door.**

**When she opened the door she found out she was right, the beautiful and exotic Morgana Macabre was standing at the door. She was waving to Binkie Muddlefoot who was smiling like the Cheshire cat and dragging Herb and her sons toward their garage. **

**Mrs. Muddlefoot was just giggling, "heh, he, heh; don't let us bother you dear. Drake just got home and I'm sure he'll be ever so glad you came over so much earlier than usual. It's so NICE to see you in daylight dear, you have the loveliest pale plumage and it just soaks up sunlight beautifully."**

**Uncertainly Morgana smiled at Gosalyn and asked, "Is something wrong with your neighbors Gosalyn?"**

**Letting Morgana in Gosalyn managed to grin weakly and wave to Honker who was being drafted to help load cans and boxes into the garage with his dad and brother before firmly closing the door. "According to Dad there's always something wrong with the Muddlefoots; but I don't think he really means that. It's just that he isn't used to being dragged bodily into ordinary stuff and the Muddlefoots are kind of like a force of nature. You can't really fight them once they get started; you just have to roll with the punches."**

**Smiling at Archie and Eek Gosalyn offered a shy hug to Morgana who sat her parasol down and retuned the embrace. Morgana had elected to walk part of the way into the neighborhood to get used to the people and the aura of the place. **

**She had brought the sunshade to keep from being too exposed to the sun and the intermittent drizzle which had continued to fall even though it was late afternoon now. Squeek chirped hopefully at Gosalyn and looked as pathetic as he could. He was hoping that the duckling would offer to hold him for a bit. **

**Morgana noticed the band aids and looked around at the empty living room. "Gosalyn dear, what happened to your fingers, and where are your father and Launchpad?"**

**Launchpad came in just then from putting the vest in the washing machine to soak, "Oh, heh, Hi Morgana. I thought you were Mrs. Muddlefoot; she is really excited about this weekend and she's been trying to catch Drake all morning."**

**Gosalyn asked, "Dad will be downstairs in a few minutes Morgana. He'll be really glad it's you and Not Honker's MOM. He's just trying to comb out his feathers. I got cut hugging him a few minutes ago. He has glass bits in his feathers from when he went to the mall. Can I hold Squeek? I promise I'll be careful with him."**

**Drake had changed his shirt and was shifting his feathers uncomfortably trying to make the damaged ones lie straight. For once he wasn't wearing another vest because the added snug fit of the vest would aggravate his sensitivity to the damage to his feathers.**

**He came down the stairs and he smiled shyly as he saw Morgana. Morgana smiled at Gos and gently tucked Squeek in her hands so she could hug Drake. Gosalyn carefully cradled Squeek in both hands and went to the couch. She could look in her snow globe with him, and if they played their cards right; maybe Dad and Morgana would agree to their having something fun for dinner.**

**She watched out of the corner of her eyes and grinned as Squeek purred softly while they hugged. Launchpad cleared his throat and offered, "Maybe Gos and I should go get some groceries for dinner DW." **

**Breaking their clinch they stepped apart and Drake offered, "Why don't you have a seat here on the couch Morg. There's something I wanted to talk to you about. Its okay LP, I got some fresh stuff from the store yesterday. Have a seat it's not like it's a secret or anything."**

**Morgana felt her heart rate speed up for a different reason than usual as she saw Drake's damaged feathers and her Mage senses tingled from the faint aura of blood spilled in violence she sensed on him, but he wasn't hurt, just a little tired. She hid most of her concern carefully behind her gentle, interested, smile but she was truly worried as she realized just how thin his protective coat of feathers had become. Soon he'd be cold even with clothes on and he'd become much more susceptible to illness and stress too.**

**She sent to Archie gently, 'Archie dear, I know Drake is very sensitive to you, but would you be a sweetheart and snuggle on his shirt for me so I can try and mend his feathers? I need to try and feed him some of Aunt Lucidia's high protein slugs. He needs the nutrients to encourage his new plumes to come in.'**

**Archie didn't reply in words instead Morgana got a definite feeling of eager agreement from her spider and then the bats chimed in.**

**Eek added, **_'He needs vitamins and minerals too Morgana, all three of them need regular healthy meals. Maybe you could offer to make part of the meal tonight and I'll portal in some of the ingredients from the kitchen at home to bridge the nutritional gap between what they have been eating and what they need.'_

**Squeek snuggled shamelessly under Gosalyn's chin and added, '**_Gosalyn is active and growing, extra protein, vitamins and minerals won't hurt her and Launchpad burns through physical resources at least three times faster than Normals usually do. None of them will suspect anything if I add some of your powdered supplements if they don't see me do it. I'll be very careful and only add tiny amounts so they won't have any system shock.' _

**Surprised by Eek's observations and Squeek's eager chirp she seated herself gracefully on the couch while Archie made a flying leap onto Launchpad's flight cap. Launchpad managed to keep his reaction to a single yelp before settling back into his chair while Archie chortled and scuttled to the back of the chair to watch Drake and Morgana. **

**Drake sat uncomfortably on the edge of the couch and smiled at the woman he loved. Unable to keep herself from doing so, Morgana touched the damp plumes at the base of his neck and collarbone. Speaking gently so as not to frighten him or make him defensive she asked, "Drake darling, what have you been up to?"**

**He took a deep breath to admit the morning's adventures but just before he could begin he noticed that the ring around her neck was glowing a tiny bit. Thrown off by the thought that she was getting hints from the ring before he was ready to tell her he froze. **

**Smiling very gently she offered, "Will you let me care for you, just a tiny bit Drake? Please?" **

**Caught completely off guard by her questions, and unsure what she was really asking for; he found his head nodding yes before his fear could stop him.**

**She kissed the top of his head, not so coincidently giving him quite an eyeful of her low cut neckline since she hadn't bothered to get up and instead leaned close to do so. He gulped nervously but she waited for a few seconds looking deeply into his eyes and as her kiss relaxed him he felt her Power gathering and she held her hands on either side of his body.**

**He began to giggle helplessly as she sent Power soothingly throughout his feathers. They were still damaged but now her energy smoothed all the barbs together and straightened the quills so they didn't shift out of place. She didn't touch him directly but instead ran her hands along the line of his body.**

**As she did so Archie snuck over to the couch and carefully balanced himself on the collar of Drake's peach shirt. He hadn't taken the time to button it properly and the line of buttons was fastened crookedly causing the collar to lie uneven. When Drake opened his eyes it was to see Morgana smiling and gently buttoning his shirt correctly one slow button at a time. **

**He flushed miserably, not because he didn't like her attentions, but because he wasn't sure what to do. Archie meanwhile had snuggled onto Drake's shoulder and was sending some energy through Drake to keep him relaxed as he struggled with his embarrassment. **

**He had recovered from his giggling fit but he was still trying to understand how to respond when Morgana offered him physical interaction and he HAD been a little flustered even before she'd kissed him. She was so overwhelmingly beautiful and he needed her the way plants needed the sun, rain and soil to live; but he was pretty much clueless as to how to proceed. **

**Oh he could mess up and make her mad sure…but what he really wanted pretty much alternated between cuddling next to her and begging to be hers forever in the hope she could make his pain stop; and cradling her in his arms and protecting her from anything and everything that might hurt her since he'd rather be hurt himself than have her so much as stub a toe. **

**Unfortunately he had no real ideas about how to get her to agree to either of these scenarios and in his less, well…distracted moments he even admitted that neither one was practical. Just then there was a knock on the front door. Launchpad hurried to get it as Morgana swiftly buttoned the last two buttons of Drake's shirt. **

**Mrs. Muddlefoot was at the door with her was a very embarrassed, frightened and unhappy Honker, "Oh Drake, Launchpad I'm so sorry to disturb you. Could you be dears and watch Honker for us tonight? Herb and I have to take Tank to the emergency room." **

**Thoroughly startled, Drake got up with Archie still balanced on his collar; while Launchpad said, "Of course Binkie." **

**Morgana added, "What else can we do to help?" **

**Binkie fussed with her apron and admitted, "I'm not entirely sure you see… we will call you when we see the Doctor." **

**She kissed Honker and nervously straightened his collar before she said in her determined way, "We love you son, and don't worry, your brother is three years older and a lot bigger than you. I'm sure he'll be fine. Just be good for Mr. Mallard and I'll call you as soon as we know anything."**

**Distractedly she moved like a gale force wind in a blue dress and pearls to hurry to the car where Herb was loading Tank into the back seat holding a bloody rag to his head and yowling like a cat whose tail had been stomped on.**

**Drake knelt by the now stricken looking Honker, "Easy now Honker, tell us what happened; maybe we can help, okay?"**

**Frightened Honker shook a little under Drake's hand. Really concerned Drake backed off a little and knelt so he was looking directly into Honker's glasses. Behind their thick lenses Drake could see that Honker was far more upset than he should have been. If Tank was that badly hurt his mother would have called paramedics and had Honker call on his cell phone for help from the Mallards. **

**Gosalyn came over with Squeek on her shoulder to hug Honker tightly. Squeek spoke to his brothers, concerned for the baby Normal**_. 'Eek, Archie this little is terrified and not just for his kin. Help me calm him so he can trust them enough to open up. You know as well as I that he's very important to the Mallards and our Morgana too. If it wasn't for him and little Gosalyn Drake's brother would still be entirely lost, and I might have been dragged past the veil of death.' _

**Eek and Archie agreed wholeheartedly, they knew all too well what had happened back in May. The only bad thing was that even though Honker was owed, the three of them honestly weren't sure how much more they could take on especially since all their charges were damaged/ healing or just learning, one way or another. **

**Eek crooned soothingly as he and Archie sent a calming veil as subtle and sweet as moonrise to cover the entire house while Drake spoke even softer to the distraught boy. "Honker, it's me Drake…Darkwing remember me? I will NEVER hurt you Honker, what's wrong?"**

**Honker actually started to pull away from Gosalyn until he realized it was her, and his eyes focused on Drake and suddenly he was himself again, his nasally stutter was all too evident as was his misery. "I'm sorry to be a bother Mr. Mallard, Tank was hurt when we were stacking a couple of pallets of cans and drinks and the stack fell over."**

**Launchpad moved up and offered, "You are never any bother little Honkman." **

**Honker flinched just a smidge as Launchpad approached but only Drake appeared to notice as he backed off and offered, "Actually Honker, you are just in time. I was just going to tell Morgana about our trip this weekend."**

**Turning to face Morgana and taking her hand eagerly he expounded, "See Honey Wompus, we are taking the Jr. Woodchuck's camping and there is this really dank and creepy… I mean romantic cave system that we are going to use to teach the children about cave exploration and I was hoping you'd come with us and maybe we could…"**

**Morgana grinned and shushed him, "I caught that dank and creepy reference Drake, are you sure you want me along?"**

**Actually she was receiving some strong feelings from Drake thanks to his promise around her neck she could tell that while Drake HAD meant the dank and creepy bit he'd also been sincere in thinking it would be romantic so she wasn't angry. She could also sense that Drake was in a very receptive state so she continued teasingly, "I was under the impression that camping was a very male oriented thing…are you certain I won't be in the way?"**

**Gosalyn enthused, "Heck NO Morgana, camping IS gross, but Dad has been wanting some alone time with you for days…."**

**Drake froze as his darling little girl not so innocently painted him even further into a corner. "See all that glass in Dad's feathers I was telling you about earlier…he was at the mall looking in…."**

**Drake hurriedly tried to shush Gosalyn who continued 'obliviously', "A Jewelry store and…"**

**All three familiars jumped and began to enthuse but this made Squeek's body hurt and he cowered miserably on Gosalyn's shoulder until Drake scooped him up gently and held him in both hands. " Gosalyn's right Morg, I DO want to be with you this weekend and I don't think you will be in the way at all. Lately I feel like something's wrong with me if we aren't together for at least a little while every few days. We are supposed to meet the Muddlefoot's Saturday and be with the Jr. Woodchuck's for the next three days after that and I really don't want to have to be away from you for that long."**

**Distracted by Squeek's pain Drake didn't seem to realize that he'd just openly restated what Gos had said that had embarrassed him.**

**He continued, still focused on Squeek, " Launchpad, do me a favor would you, cut up some of those fruits I bought at the grocery store into tiny little bat sized pieces. Gosalyn get some of the night crawlers you bought at the pet store for me Honey; and a nice soft, warm towel from the dryer too okay?"**

**He and Morgana moved to the couch as Gosalyn took Honker with her in search of the worms and the towel. Drake cradled the bat gently between himself and Morgana and while they waited for the fruit and such shyly he asked, "So, would you like to go camping this weekend? There will be 25 Jr. Woodchucks, 4 Woodchuck guides, the Muddlefoots and…"**

"**All the outdoorsy greatness anyone could possibly wish for, "Finished Gosalyn with a half grin/half grimace as she handed Honker the box of night crawlers and pulled one out for Squeek. **

**Concerned Morgana stopped Gosalyn from feeding the worm to Squeek and said, "Gosalyn Dear, truly you are a generous and loving girl, but you don't have to feed Squeek your pet worms."**

**Honker stuttered and Gosalyn laughed a little as Drake smiled and greatly daring he nuzzled her neck and explained, "The worms are for Eek, Squeek and Archie if he want's them. We bought them at the pet store as treats for them."**

**He offered Eek a piece of fruit as Eek sat in Morgana's hairdo. Eek promptly pretended to make a mess so he could cause Morgana's hair to escape its usual style and fall down over her and Drake as they sat together on the couch.**

**Squeek was happily eating his way down a worm as Morgana's hair fell over Drake who grinned as he watched Gosalyn try and convince Launchpad that night crawlers were the same as the meal worms that they were eating more often thanks to Morgana. **

**Fortunately both she and Launchpad were kidding each other and knew it but Honker was actually at loose ends since he didn't really want to play with worms; or butt in with Mr. Mallard and Morgana. So he went up to Gosalyn's room hoping she would have a book around that had more words than pictures.**

**Just a short time later, Mr. Mallard came into Gosalyn's room with an air mattress and a sleeping bag. He began to arrange a bed for Honker on the floor of Gosalyn's bedroom; Drake smiled inside as he thought, 'pretty soon Honker and Gos will have to camp out in the living room so I can keep an eye on things'. His heart contracted painfully as he tried AGAIN to face the fact that his little girl was going to be grown up WAY too soon for his comfort. **

**Smiling reassuringly at the boy he offered, "Hi Honker, find anything interesting in Gosalyn's books?"**

**Honker sighed and admitted, "Not really Mr. Mallard. I guess I'll just lie down until Mom calls."**

**Drake was worried about Honker. He debated if he should mention anything just now about Honker's emotional distress. As he set up the bed, Drake decided to wait and let Honker relax, Honker was looking vulnerable somehow, and Drake's instincts were gibbering at him in a way he hadn't ever had to deal with in his adult civilian identity before. Forcing himself to relax a bit more; he tried to get Honker to open up a little but there wasn't much he could do really unless Honker was willing to open up about whatever was bothering him. **

**He offered, "well Honker our house is your house and you are welcome to rest if you want to, but Morgana and I made some dinner and I thought maybe eating a little and having a fruit smoothie might make us all sleep better."**

**Perking up considerably Honker looked happier at the thought of dinner and desert and he went downstairs much more like his usual self.**

**After dinner Morgana was surprised to realize that she was actually looking forward to this 'camping'. She kissed Gosalyn's band aids and smiled at Honker gently and offered, "If you need me just call and I will be listening. I hope your brother recovers well Honker."**

**Smiling she straightened Launchpad's scarf and then turning to her Drake she laid a kiss on him that practically melted him into the floor. **

**Smiling with an imp of fun in her eyes she said, "Hmmm… A chance to be alone in the dark with you, and no criminals to distract you; Goodnight Dark my Darling I will be looking forward to this camping excursion very much." **

**Launchpad adjusted his hat and said hurriedly, "We are going to drive to the National Park Saturday morning and there will be room in the car if you want to ride with us. I have rented a We-Haul to put most of the camping stuff in." **

**He grinned at Drake and patted his brother's shoulder as Drake struggled to recover from his hormonal reaction and the energy surge he had just gotten from Morgana. **

**Morgana gently closed Drake's beak and said, "Why thank you Launchpad. I'd love to ride with you all to this mysterious camping place. I think I'll go home and freshen up. I'll call you tomorrow Dark." **

**Drake managed to scoop his tongue back into his mouth and his eyes back into their sockets but before he could gather his wits and say anything; Morgana walked into his front closet and out of her own closet in her hallway.**

**Humming happily to herself she decided to contact her Aunt and tell her how much closer to being formally bonded she hoped she was. Fortunately Her Aunt Lucidia agreed with her and thought that Drake's reluctance was simply a cultural thing. Once they had the chance to participate in a formal vow taking, then Morgana could see about healing the hurts that inhibited him so badly. **

**Archie snickered to himself and whispered to his brothers, '**_Drake is going to NEED a Mages care to keep up with Morgana once she gets him into her bed. We will have to try and help our Morgana once she DOES realize that Drake needs more than just bedding to heal.'_

**Both bats agreed although Eek did worry slightly, **_'Our Morgana isn't a true healer, do you think she will be able to heal Drake's injuries without causing them both problems?'_

**Squeek chirped cheerfully and responded mysteriously, **_'Drake will be taken care of, as long as he and Morgana formally bond and are together they will be strong enough. I didn't know it at first of course, but it's one of the reasons my healing won't be complete until they are formally bonded, wedded and bedded.'_

**Archie nodded to himself and admitted, '**_They balance each other the way a true Mage bonded pair must…but that will work both ways. Once they acknowledge their vows of love, loyalty, obedience and fidelity before the creator; if they are in accord they well feed each other, but if they fight each other they will both pay the price. Drake and Morgana are intelligent as well as stubborn and we should be able to explain things if we need to.'_

**Both his brothers were content with that, after all, there were checks and balances for everything and it was the Creator's will that determined what actually happened after all, with free will thrown in of course.**

**Struck by a sudden thought Archie asked, **_'Do you think we should mention the little Normal duckling to Grimm? He was the one who focused the melding of all of us in May, he might have an idea or two how to help the child since we are becoming a little…well'_

'_Stretched thin?'_**, Offered Squeek tiredly, **_'I think you are right; even though Morgana and Drake ARE progressing, with me still hurt it's not like we can spare a lot of attention or energy for any more responsibilities just now.'_

**---**

**Drake managed to pull himself together after he shook off the after effects of Morgana's attentions. Surprisingly Gosalyn didn't put up much resistance to his suggestion that they all turn in soon after Morgana left. Binkie had called a few minutes before then to give them all an update on Tank's condition and after talking to his parents, Honker had seemed grateful and exhausted and had gone upstairs without a fight as well. **

**Something was still bothering Drake though, he couldn't put a finger on it. But there was something wrong, for the first time in a while; Drake followed a sudden impulse and after tucking the children in he carefully checked all the doors and windows before locking and setting the alarm.**

**Drake didn't realize it, but the Chain and ring around his neck were emitting a gentle energy field to counter his physical and mental imbalance so he could rest. Ever since he'd kissed Morgana this evening, he'd been feeling fidgety and the episode at the door with Honker had really upset him for some reason. **

**Launchpad had smiled and offered to stay up for a little bit if Drake needed to talk but instead Drake had offered to accept a rain check and had gone into his study and read psalm 23 before going to bed. Usually that set of verses was a great comfort, it made him feel as though he wasn't alone in his fight against evil, but for some reason he was still a little uneasy but once he went to bed he found himself drifting into a restful sleep.**

**---**

**Lucidia Macabre was just dressing for the evening when a soft jingle bell sound came to her through her dresser mirror. Surprised Lucidia deactivated her privacy screen and saw Morgana sitting in her bedroom in St. Canard. Lucidia smiled warmly and surreptitiously opened her third eye for a peek at her niece and her familiars. **

**Lucidia was gratified to see from the glowing nimbus of energy swirling around the girl she must have spent at least a little time with Drake today, and with the rich colors involved and the chaotic energy patterns they must have indulged in at least a little passion.**

**Mossie looked up from her seat on her lichen covered footstool and snorted at the thought of how Morgana was going to look to Mage Sight once she was married. If all went well it was likely the girl would be happy and content at least most of the time. **

**Drake was a smart boy it was likely he'd figure out quick enough the consequences if the two of them fought much; and Lucidia was already making plans to explain things to Morgana so all that was left to do for the moment was enjoy the drama. It was shaping up to be even more entertaining than a marathon of 'the featherless and the useless' on the mirror network.**

**Morgana visibly gathered herself and said demurely enough, "greetings Aunt."**

**---**

**Honker tossed and turned miserably on the air mattress but he just couldn't sleep. Finally Gosalyn took pity on him, turned on her emergency alien repelling flashlight and offered, "I can stay up for a bit Honker and as long as we're quiet Dad won't care. What's wrong? Aside from Tank having to have stitches and stay overnight for observation your Mom said he was going to be fine. The Doctor said that the edge of a can must have opened the gash but it won't even scar under his feathers."**

**Honker struggled with his feelings desperately for a few more seconds before admitting very softy, "It's my fault Gosalyn, about Tank."**

**Startled Gosalyn sat up in her bed to stare for a moment at her best friend, Honker glanced up at Gosalyn expecting to see disappointment or judgment and instead she was smiling a little as she got out of bed to crouch beside the sleeping bag. **

**Gosalyn whispered reassuringly, "Honker I am SO proud of you, you finally decided to stand up to Tank huh?"**

**Honker was stunned as she continued thoughtfully, "You know, it was probably smart NOT to use any Quack Fu or anything; your mom might have been upset and stopped your lessons. But you know Honk, bashing him with a can WAS inspired, a little forceful for you maybe… but inspired."**

**She patted his shoulder and before he could react she had hugged him and gone back to bed. As she settled back into the sheets she offered, "You had better talk to dad about hand to hand techniques though, if you hit someone too hard you might do serious damage, even Tank's thick skull could break if you aren't careful; but I AM glad for you Honk."**

**She yawned and fell asleep a few minutes later, unaware that Honker was still sitting up in the sleeping bag struggling to fight off feelings of turmoil that had nothing to do really with Tank's injury. Finally as Gosalyn began to snore Honker let the sound of his best friend sleeping soothe his fear and hurt enough to sleep too.**

**Honker knew from bitter experience that usually once he managed to force himself to go to sleep it would be easier and easier to avoid thinking about his problems as time went by. Especially if he got to spend any time with the Mallards, why in the year since they had moved next door; his life had become so much better that it was almost unbelievable. **

**He HAD been afraid that Mr. Mallard had seen too much earlier before he'd gotten a hold of himself; but everything had been perfectly normal, well as normal as an evening with Morgana ever was. She and Mr. Mallard had made some kind of spaghetti squash with a really unusual sauce and they had also made fruit smoothies for desert. **

**Even though Mr. Mallard had gulped a little at the moving bits in the food it had actually tasted good and after eating Honker had to admit he HAD felt a lot better until he had gone to bed and been faced with the realities of his situation. **

**Honestly he'd hoped that he'd never have to deal with this again…but from what his mother had said, he'd have to face it and soon. Ignoring the pain in his chest at this thought Honker turned over shuddering and put the pillow over his eyes to block out the streetlight outside Gosalyn's window, and then he forced himself to relax the way the Sensei and Mr. Mallard had been teaching them.**

**---**

**The next morning dawned bright and sunny which meant that Gosalyn was eager to be outside since the sun was out. Delighted she leaped up and tripped over Honker and his air mattress causing both ducklings to roll awkwardly around on the floor. Poor Honker, being awakened by his best friend falling on him and then being entangled in the sleeping bag was definitely NOT at his best, especially since he'd had a fairly uneasy night of it. **

**Gosalyn for her part had honestly forgotten that Honker was camped out on the floor of her bedroom. She had in fact been sleeping soundly all night and was fairly bursting with energy. Unlike mornings when school was in session, during vacation periods, Gosalyn was an enthusiastic and early riser a fact that USUALLY meant her long suffering parent seldom had restful mornings when formal schooling was not on the agenda. **

**That was actually one of the reasons he tried to fill her days with structured and supervised activities like her organized sports, gymnastics, Quack Fu lessons and even the Jr. Woodchucks. He figured the more time she spent under the (theoretically) watchful eyes of responsible adults the better, particularly if he was on a case or on a S.H.U.S.H. mission. Granted, paying for all these activities and the resulting breakage and mayhem pretty much guaranteed that he barely broke even financially even with Launchpad's contributions, but it was well worth it. **

**Gosalyn was actually very mature in some ways but she was still very much a child in others and one of the things she seemed to have some trouble grasping as of yet was just how serious and permanent consequences could be.**

**But Drake wasn't that worried yet, Gosalyn WAS impulsive and tended to react instead of think, but she was only ten and he had only been teaching her for a year. There was still time to show her how to balance risk and reward…besides he had to admit, at least to himself; that he wasn't the BEST example in the world necessarily. **

**Not only did his life seem to include an incredible amount of weirdness, but he almost seemed to have nine lives when it came to consequences. Not that he wasn't totally grateful because he was; and every morning he thanked the Lord that he and his loved ones were still together and happy and healthy. **

**But especially after the whole Taurus Bulba mess he really seemed to be living on borrowed time. Anyone else that deliberately went around messing with career criminals usually ended up dead or worse after all.**

**In spite of this he was still ambulatory; still mostly healthy and with more people to love who loved him back than he ever dreamed he'd have. Still…until Gos learned how to reduce the chances of her impulses hurting herself, (or anyone else around) it was definitely worth while to be broke and minimize her unsupervised free time.**

**In any case, Gosalyn woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ended up being pinned under Honker and her bedstead first thing in the morning. The resulting thrashing and muttering from both ducklings would have been ignored by the adults, except that Gosalyn accidentally dislodged one of the slats that held her mattress in place. When her mattress and linens came crashing down it also destabilized her bed frame and the resulting crash brought Drake and Launchpad on the run.**

**Drake surveyed the scene and sighed as he began to haul the ducklings free of the mess, "Gosalyn, are you and Honker alright?"**

**Honker staggered a little since he was tangled in the sleeping bag but his earlier unease had been replaced , at least temporarily; by the energy and excitement that the Mallards lived in and he managed to reply, "We are fine Mr. Mallard."**

**Gosalyn sputtered and struggled with her sheets as Drake unrolled her from the mess while Launchpad lifted the bed frame. Drake sighed, "Do I even want to ask how you managed this Gosalyn?**

**She sounded positively indignant and answered, "Darn it, Dad, I promise we weren't doing anything."**

**Launchpad laughed and offered, "I'll put the bed back together Gos and you and Honker make sure your Dad eats something healthy so Morgana won't be mad later."**

**Drake looked a little grumpy, "Launchpad! I Don't need keepers you know…."**

**Launchpad sighed and said, "Maybe not DW, but If YOU eat breakfast then so will they, Gos and Honker will be busy playing all day and MY mom always said that 'breakfast is the most important meal of the day' so…"**

**Drake sighed, "I So need coffee, at least I got plenty of sleep last night." He finished setting both ducklings on their feet and continued, "You know Launchpad, it IS kind of strange, I usually stay up most of the night, and sleep in the morning; But last night I slept from what…eleven to seven this morning. I wonder why I slept so well. My body should have been confused, but instead I feel better than I have in weeks."**

**Impatiently Gosalyn dragged Honker toward the door of her bedroom but her dad was quick enough to grab her by her sleep shirt. "Just a minute there Gosalyn, where exactly do you think you're going?"**

**Instantly she put on her most innocent face and smiled, "Umm, to the kitchen so we can get you some cereal?"**

**Drake raised an incredulous eyebrow and said, "Riiight…try again Gos."**

**She used her innocent daughter look on him and stuttered, "Really Dad, Launchpad is right we really NEED breakfast."**

**Grabbing his hand she dragged both Honker and her dad after her, but before she could grab the extra sugar and her chocolate frosted sugar frosty O's; Drake sat both children down and got out the orange juice.**

**He grinned as he poured himself coffee, "If I have to eat healthy then so do you…. You pour the juice Honker and Gos you get the butter for the toast. I'll make us some scrambled eggs and by the time LP get's done fixing your bed, I'll have his eggs done too, after all, it's not like he won't need a second round of breakfast."**

**Drake shook his head as he AGAIN wondered where Launchpad put all the food he ate, with the calories he packed away he ought to be as round as Herb Muddlefoot; but instead he maintained a very high fitness level and trim physique…and with very little regimented exercise. In fact Drake knew he spent more time working out than Launchpad and yet he STILL felt insecure about his looks and conditioning. At least keeping up with Gosalyn meant he tended to keep moving, even if he didn't get to work put as regularly as he used to and that DID help. **

**Sighing he decided that once Gosalyn and Honker were occupied he'd try again to figure a way to get an engagement ring for Morgana. The caves would be the perfect place to admit how much he needed her and ask her to be his…but it would be pretty lame to ask without a ring to formalize his offer.**

**He his a grimace of doubt from the ducklings and Launchpad as he faced the unpalatable fact that his offer of marriage was actually not a very good one. Not from a financial or social standpoint, but he was offering all that he was and all he had, and no one could offer more than that after all.**

**--- **

_Here is the next bit I hope everyone likes it and Merry Christmas. Santa knows I want reviews for Christmas and now so do all you nice readers LOL have a great holiday, your friend Irual_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Everyone belongs to Disney if you have seen them on DVD's or video. Everyone else belongs to me. I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews and e mails. Especially Opus-j for becoming my informal (and very helpful) beta reader and idea developer, thanks man you ROCK totally. (Eek, I am turning into a ninja turtle! Save me, I can't branch out into another genre ahhh,) Ehem, sorry about that and now back to our regularly scheduled Ducky madness.**

**Also as I have previously stated, this plot starts about six weeks or so after my story Hexes and Vexes and follows the continuity therein, so if you haven't read that one there are a few differences between this and the cartoon but no worries, just e-mail or message me and I'll try and clear up any problems if you don't want to read Hexes. (But you REALLY want to read and review that one too right? Right, J/k no pressure)**

**---**

**Grimm was toying with his dinner when Archie, Morgana's spider; sent his thoughts ghosting through the ether to touch the senior familiar's mind. Archie was uncharacteristically soft spoken and surprisingly formal as he attempted to explain the trouble he and his brothers, Morgana's bats were encountering, '**_Elder, if you aren't too busy, there is a matter that you need to be aware of….'_

**---**

**Drake had decided that he needed to find out about financing a ring and today being Tuesday July 1****st**** meant that he needed to make what arrangements he could before Saturday. **

**After he had forced himself to eat an egg and some orange juice to go with his morning coffee he gave Gosalyn strict instructions about what she could and could not do while he and Launchpad were gone. She and Honker would be safe enough here at the house for a few hours, Honker's parents were staying with Tank until he was discharged this afternoon, and then they would come home. Drake and LP went to the lair to continue with the clean up and restocking of the one bridge tower that was safe to use. **

**Fortunately it was the main one he had built his connecting chair tunnel to and the tunnel had been cleared and resealed just after school had let out. The transport chairs were safe to use now and he had readied not just the Ratcatcher, but also several small emergency watercraft and kept them at the tower in case they had to escape from the house for some reason. **

**Honestly Darkwing hadn't been able to explain the sudden increase in his paranoia since the middle of May, but Launchpad hadn't raised any objections to the additional watercraft or the fact that the Thunderquack was still being housed in the secure S.H.U.S.H. hanger until the repairs to the matching tower that held the weight of the span equalized were finished. **

**The addition of the plane's weight to the lairs' stress capacity would be a very iffy thing until the second tower was finished. The second tower was mostly just storage and emergency supplies anyway but structurally it was vital to the bridge's integrity and balancing the mass and physics would have been an engineering impossibility except that Scrooge's construction company had reinforced everything as a safety precaution for the work crews and this had enabled Darkwing to work almost simultaneously with the construction in building in his additions to both towers. Of course on the city approved blueprints it had all been labeled as structural reinforcement and inspection infrastructure but after the final inspection and seals were placed the only ones who could access the tower would be them unless a military strike force or a villain broke in.**

**They were safe enough in here for now with the smaller, lighter equipment that they had installed. Not only did the new servers and computers take up less space, but they were more energy efficient and left plenty of power available for other additions to the lair as well, but the plane would have to wait for at least another couple of weeks. **

**Of course that meant they could use the time to redesign the elevator lift and hatches that the plane used to enter and leave the lair as well as the underwater entrance that was hidden in the bay. Having been badly shaken by the aftermath of the whole curse mess and Morgana's injuries back in May, Drake had carefully taken apart and inspected all of his new equipment from S.H.U.S.H. and had installed his own fail-safes and security.**

**Drake thought he had found all the built in trackers and bugs; those were standard in case any secret installation was breached so the equipment could be traced and destroyed, but being able to work around those and have his own privacy was vital for his piece of mind. **

**Instead of disabling them and setting off the G.E.E.K. watchdogs he had built overrides and work around circuitry into them and reset the security parameters. G.E.E.K. could still track the stuff just in case, but if they snooped around the machines in the lair he should get a telltale and he could act to protect himself and his family. **

**Darkwing had thought long and hard for several weeks while they had waited for this tower to be structurally certified by the city inspectors and sealed off; Darkwing had elected to completely gut his old obstacle course and had instead installed a mini gym and meditation area that even included some growing plants to help refresh the air and a small tinkling fountain that they used to help teach Gos and Honker to focus and to give him a sound to relax to.**

**Because his crime fighting equipment was a lot more compact now he had decided to tuck more than just his old bedroom set into the upper level of the tower as well. He, Launchpad and Honker had carefully designed pocket-sized living quarters and their new recreation area in the upstairs that they could use as a temporary second home in an emergency. **

**He had also redesigned the towers defenses and disguised the energy emissions and restocked their fuel supplies but until the adjoining tower was finished there wasn't much more they could do in the way of major renovations. The towers themselves would look just as they had before once the repairs were done, but they had been specially reinforced from the footers to the tips. **

**Now they were armored and even had mounting areas for some of the special armaments he and Honker had toyed with making. It would be weeks or even months before they finished the design and fabrication of everything, but now that he had a real family to protect, and his teammates; Drake felt that it was important to upgrade as much as they could. **

**He'd duplicate the renovations and space divisions in the second tower once it was finished so they would be able to complete the upgrades after the work crews were gone for good. It wasn't often a major public landmark was refurbished after all, Darkwing sighed he KNEW he was using the tower redesign as an excuse, but he hated to face his feelings even when he was comfortable with them and right now, he wasn't. Launchpad meanwhile had been waiting for Drake to calm down enough to talk about his problems and he figured now was a good time to try and sound out Drake's state of mind. **

**Launchpad spoke gently, he knew he was going to have to force Drake to realize what he was doing or it would become a self feeding loop that would be a true pain to stop; "So, how are you doing DW?"**

**Drake flinched and sighed before answering, "I keep trying to face how I feel but…it almost seems as though there's some unseen force jinxing me…. I mean REALLY LP, who else could go into a jewelry store to get an engagement ring and end up in the middle of an armed robbery?"**

**Launchpad remembered all to well just how seriously the hostile magic from the curses back in May had affected Darkwing and to a lesser extent Gosalyn and Morgana. He figured that even IF by some extreme long-shot there WAS antagonistic Magic around; DW was by no means ill or as injured as he had been then; so unless someone was being a lot more subtle and VERY skilled, any kind of Jinx was unlikely. But DW was nervous and jumpy, he was almost thinking his way into excuses for not being successful now and that was NOT a healthy reaction. **

**Launchpad tried again, "Oh now DW, it's not that bad…I mean SURE the Jewelers in that mall is a mess…"**

**Darkwing winced as Launchpad continued, apparently oblivious to Drake's reaction, "And sure all their stock was confiscated as evidence against those crooks…" **

**Drake flinched again as LP kept going," And it IS true that Gos pretty much TOLD Morgana that you were shopping for a ring…and YOU DID invite Morgana to the campout this weekend…" **

**Drake swayed dramatically at this bluntly stated observation and gulped, "Please LP, STOP."**

**Innocently Launchpad turned to face the younger duck and leaned against one of the new consoles. **

**Drake gulped and managed, "I feel faint all of a sudden."**

**Launchpad's normally laid back expression became quite stern as he nudged Drake forcibly on the shoulder and offered bracingly, "Buck up there Drake. You and I both know you went ring shopping and you WANT Morgana more than anything. You just need to go ahead and face up to it. Once you get the ring it will be much easier, then all you have to do is find a good place to ask her. I think you are on the right track with the whole cave idea, Some of those rock formations are beautiful and you and I both know how much she like's the dark."**

**Launchpad grinned as he saw Drake blush at the implied innuendo and then grab at the console for balance as he tried to turn away to hide it. **

**Launchpad sighed and continued, "Why don't you go look around today and see what's available? We are pretty much finished here for now and I'll go keep an eye on Gos and Honker. We only have three more days to get ready for the four day trip so I'll go over the camping gear and see what needs replacing or refurbishing. You and Gos both tend to be a little hard on equipment and gear you know."**

**Drake bristled slightly and protested turning back to face his sidekick, "Hey, that WASN'T our fault. F.O.W.L. had a robotic bear scaring off all the campers in the national park so they could hide missile launchers in the old growth trees!"**

**Launchpad held up a restraining hand and laughed a little, "well it wasn't an F.O.W.L. agent who ripped the bottom out of the rubber raft or destroyed the big tent or…."**

**Hurriedly Drake shushed his friend and went to change into his Darkwing Duck clothes. Mounting the Ratcatcher he said, "I'll just make a quick swing through downtown LP and then I'll come home to help you pack. I will be better after I get some fresh air and I'll help you with the shopping list, we'd better plan on packing some extra food unless you want to eat canned beans and BBQ coconut burgers three times a day for all four days of the trip."**

**Darkwing winced as Launchpad looked confused and asked, "What's wrong with canned beans and BBQ coconut burgers DW?"**

**DW replied with a wave and a smile, "nothing LP I think Morgana would like a little more variety though.**

**Drake added quietly as his motorcycle zoomed down a support cable and hit the tarmac; "and I know I want more variety than that, besides Gosalyn will pitch a fit and try to live on candy all outing if I don't pack something a little more appealing than the freeze dried food packs from the Gander Outlet store." **

**---**

**Meanwhile in downtown St. Canard a certain black caped and masked duck in a yellow jacket and red hat was riding his yellow, metal-stud encrusted motorcycle called 'Troublemaker' around downtown St. Canard. Ordinarily he would have been chased on sight by any police officers that saw him since he was a wanted criminal, but as long as he obeyed the traffic laws no one had seemed to see him,; not as Negaduck anyway. **

**He forced himself to remain calm and relaxed as he paused beside another patrol car, but the harried pair of policemen just glanced at him and one of them said, "Hey buddy, the mandatory helmet law goes into effect this weekend so don't forget to use one."**

**His partner nodded as they finished giving out citations to the pair of drivers involved in the fender bender beside them. The policeman's eyes narrowed suspiciously before he added, "We don't really want to have to ticket you fellows, but it IS a safety issue, here…"**

**Negaduck felt a subtle tingling and all his feathers fluffed as his temper started to flare, but to his shock the second cop had reached into the trunk of the patrol car and pulled out a black motorcycle helmet. It was actually a top of the line custom model and Negaduck glanced into the trunk and saw there were quite a few more inside.**

**The first policeman handed him a slip of paper as the second fellow made him take the helmet, "We are giving these away all weekend and it won't hurt anything to start early. You look like a leader, tell your riding buddies to just do us all a favor and use a helmet in the city limits alright?"**

**His partner added, "If you fellow's want to scramble your brains on the highway we can't really stop you, but especially for the city celebration this weekend just try and blend in, it will cut our workload considerably and none of you will have to spend the weekend in jail, that way it'll be a win, win for everybody." **

**Not knowing what else to do with the helmet he slipped it on and tucked his hat under his cloak, glancing curiously at the paper he saw it was an unofficial warning citation and receipt for the helmet. Even for him that was really weird, honestly Dirk had been very low key lately and hadn't pulled of any crimes in just over a month; and for some reason, when he wasn't intent on committing crimes it was as if the minions of the law just didn't seem to see him. Not since that whole weird episode in May anyway. **

**In fact most of his time since mid May had been taken up with spying on his twin; his twin's family and sorting out the rest of the five when they did stupid stuff so he wouldn't have to break them out of jail if he needed them. At least Quackerjack and Liquidator seemed to have recovered completely and Bushroot was content to do his research in the university greenhouses and parks since summer was a major growing season for the native plants around St. Canard. **

**In fact the only one of his gang that gave him consistent trouble lately was Megavolt. The St. Canard Cardinals were making a really impressive showing in the national standings. Because of this the stadium had been partially renovated and the old electric lighting had been replaced, so had the scoreboard.**

**It had been replaced with a new energy efficient LED enhanced model and Megavolt had been beside himself with the need to rescue the new equipment. Fortunately he had been easy to divert, instead of taking the new equipment, he had agreed to find the old light bulbs and scoreboard parts a home and he had scuttled away with the unwanted bits about two weeks ago. **

**Negaduck sighed as he felt his leadership instincts nag again, If Sparky didn't show up soon, he'd have to break out one of his stand by plans for the five and gather the whole bunch together as an excuse to go after the scatterbrained rodent. **

**Before school had let out for the summer Negaduck had even practiced avoiding the elementary school's new surveillance cameras and watched Gosalyn going to and from school for the whole month that school had been in session. **

**He grinned as he recalled how Gosalyn had complained when school had been extended until June fourth to make up for the days everyone had missed when St. Canard had been shut down for almost ten days back in mid May. He had almost felt a little sympathy for his do-gooder of a brother when he had used his sound surveillance equipment and eavesdropped on their morning routine…almost.**

**He'd also tracked Launchpad to his pilot's hang out Barnstormers near the airport and watched him chatting up several of the lady pilots and crew members as well as spying on him as he listened to gossip from the commercial and private air traffic. **

**Dirk had to admit he had been surprised by how many ladies tended to stop by Launchpad's table and tried to be congenial company. Most even offered him romance and some very classy females had been attracted enough to dally in Launchpad's vicinity whenever he happened to go out. **

**It was almost a shame the big fellow was such a tried and true good guy. With him as bait, trolling for ladies would be even easier than taking candy from a baby and not nearly so sticky either.**

**Negaduck snorted to himself and shifted uncomfortably on his motorcycle as he went down the street. Awkwardly he recalled his recent encounter with Morgana's defenses and his twin just a few days ago. He'd intended to plant a few spying gizmos on her windows and near her house so he could hear what she and Drake talked about.**

**Hers was the one place he couldn't penetrate to watch Drake, NOT that he cared if they were getting closer; having a girlfriend who could magically imprison him or turn him into things or spy on him from inside his own head was SO not on Dirk Mallard's 'to do' list. Not with her being so against crimes now anyway.**

**Her gargoyles were no longer fooled at all by his appearance even if he wore an outfit like Drake's and Morgana had come out her front door where he'd been treed on the roof of her porch and she had been very…different.**

**Instead of being angry at his intrusion, she had gestured to the twist of Chain he wore now as a constant accessory. It usually hid under his red turtleneck and even when he had been stripped to the feathers and held in S.H.U.S.H. custody after that whole vampire mess, the agents hadn't taken it or even seemed to see it; even though they had been very careful, through and vigorous in securing him and the rest of the five at the time. **

**She had said, "You don't have to try and sneak you know. You helped Drake, Launchpad, Gosalyn and Honker save me AND Drake when you saved Squeek, and in return you have and are a part of us. I DON'T trust you…but I DO acknowledge you are Drake's brother just as he does. What do you want Dirk?"**

**He'd been mortified at being caught and as usual he'd reacted with anger and snapped at her, "For you to call me Negaduck when I'm in costume for one thing sweet cheeks."**

**She had smiled coldly and answered, "When you are dressed in YOUR costume I will, but dressing like my Dark won't help you fool me now…."**

**The Chain around her slender neck had sparkled at him and he'd even seen the plain metal band that was threaded through it for a few seconds before it had hidden itself from him again. "We are bonded from within and I SEE and feel your differences no matter how alike you look on the outside. You came to my house for something, tell me what it is, maybe I will give it to you; just so you can stop getting your tail feathers plucked."**

**He'd fumed and instinctively put his hat over his tattered tail to keep the swooping gargoyles from snatching any more of his feathers before grudgingly dropping onto her porch. "I…well, I don't really care what you two are doing, but HE spends most of his time with you one way or another and well…NEVERMIND." **

**Uncharacteristically embarrassed, and no longer able to hide it in anger; he'd turned beet red and tried to go but to his utter shock Drake had come out of Morgana's front door and caught him from behind. He'd been so shocked at Drake's silent, graceful and effective actions that Drake had managed to get him pinned in a come-along hold. Then he'd forced Dirk against the railing of the porch as Drake spoke calmly to his twin. **

**Dirk swallowed hard as he recalled looking into his twin's gaze and realizing that Drake was just as dangerous and deadly as he was. The main reason they reacted so differently was that they had simply learned to adapt to their environments in opposite ways, Drake by accepting the pain and hurt involved in surviving and acting to minimize it, and Dirk by lashing out preemptively in an attempt to ward off the pain before it was inflicted on him. **

**Even though they had reached an uneasy truce when they'd helped each other in May; neither of them was at all comfortable with the other. Since they now shared most of their memories and even feelings, neither mallard knew quite how to act or react and so they usually hid in their costumed identities when they interacted. Facing his brother dressed in that pasty pastel get-up he wore as Drake should have been easier than facing him as Darkwing, but somehow it hadn't been. **

**When they touched there was even some kind of weird energy exchange as well and THAT was still something that he didn't want to think about. Dirk shivered a little as he admitted to himself just how much it hurt to know that HIS Gosalyn wasn't real. **

**He'd honestly loved Cygnet, she and he had been content raising Gosalyn; and he'd even toyed with the idea of going straight since their sweet gentle natures were so unsuited for the hard choices needed to stay on top in the criminal world. It had been Cygnet's death at the hands of F.O.W.L. (Federal Organization of World Law), that had compelled him to take over the Negaverse version of St. Canard and become undisputed ruler of most of the continent to ensure Gosalyn's safety.**

**Darkwing and Negaduck's civilian selves had only just started to adjust to the situation, after all; Dirk had reasoned, He'd just become strong enough to escape his alternate dimension prison about two years ago and Drake hadn't even remembered having an actual blood brother until May so it wasn't like they had had a lot of time to adjust yet.**

**Solemnly Drake had stared into his twins eyes before saying softly, "Dirk, I know you have been haunting my family since before May, and at first I WAS more than a little panicked. After all, promise or no promise, you are deadly dangerous and stronger than me, especially when it comes to violence; the people I love mean everything to me. Do you want to know why I've trusted you around Gosalyn and the other people that are part of my soul for over a month and never stopped you?"**

**Dirk had attempted one of his trademark sneers and had started, "YOU couldn't stop me even if you wanted to…urk." **

**Drake had cut him off with a forearm to the throat and continued just as if Dirk hadn't spoken at all. Both mallards had felt energy pulsing back and forth between them as they were wrapped around each other and Morgana came up behind her mate to hold them both. "Truth between us brother, for now at least, you are a part of me just like I am a part of you. One of the things I have been doing is learning to access my early memories that were jarred loose when Mintaka and Lucidia repaid you…."**

**Dirk remembered vividly the pain he had seen in his twin and felt through their renewed connection as Drake continued, "I remember you, and I…remember you being taken from our room by that dark, evil presence." **

**If you truly want to cripple me and make me suffer for your pain, then I can't stop you. You know my secrets and weaknesses, but…"**

**He had stepped back and released Dirk to finish, "I trust you, as much as I can, and I remember what we had. If you come to my house as Dirk, my brother, I'll TRY and accept you; but when you wear your mask and act against the law, I HAVE to stop you just to protect the people you hurt, and I HAVE no choice about S.H.U.S.H."**

**Drake had slipped the purple mask off his twin's head and offered it back to him as he added, "I willingly gave my Oath of Service and even if I hadn't Director Hooter and his people are under my protection just like the five are for you."**

**Morgana had gestured and the mask had shimmered for a moment before turning from purple to black as had his jacket before both Drake and Morgana had stepped back. Then and Morgana had given him a little pocket mirror that had a strange shimmer to it. She had also told him that if he concentrated on Drake or any of the family he would be able to see and hear them within its depths so long as his need was personal and benign. **

**The Spell Chain that Dirk wore had attached itself to him when he'd helped his twin and his little family save Morgana's bat and as far as he knew it wouldn't come off. Since he'd worn it, it HAD proved useful though… eerie, and spooky to be sure but useful. Morgana had told him that, "Just like the wards and shields that his Spell chain wove for him, the mirror would not work if he meant to harm anyone. He'd have to be non-lethal and/or legal to keep the protection going."**

**The mirror refused to help him scout his twin if he was trying to commit a crime, but still being able to keep tabs on his twin WAS helpful for his piece of mind. Honestly the little tidbit about the Chain's weaving wards and shields that hid him, had been well worth the embarrassment of getting caught and Dirk admitted to himself (and ONLY to himself) that being able to actually see and listen to Drake DID make it easier to face down his temper especially when his DEAR twin had to put up with the Muddlefoots. It was almost as funny as watching Megavolt trying and avoid Liquidator in an enclosed space and not nearly as noisy.**

**Humming tunelessly to himself, he recalled the BBQ fiasco that Drake had endured at the beginning of June and grinned. Negaduck continued down the street, not really registering his unusual, for him anyway; contentment and relaxed attitude, suddenly a shadow flickered at the corner of his eye. **

**Startled Negaduck pulled into an alley and looked around intently pulling off the helmet and replacing his fedora. He WAS in costume after all and his truce with Darkwing was only in effect when they were in their civilian disguises and besides he didn't have any kind of truce with the other criminals of St. Canard or the cities law enforcement personnel either. **

**Besides, he hadn't really tested the Chain's ability to keep him unnoticed not deliberately. For all he knew those weird relatives of Morgana's had been messing with him when they had given him his hurried explanation after they had tried and failed to heal Squeek, and realized that Drake's Chain had divided itself and attached a piece of itself to him; but remembering the circumstances, it wasn't likely. Especially not since Morgana had reaffirmed some of it when she'd given him the pocket mirror. **

**Even so, that strange out of place bit of shadow hadn't set off any of his danger signals, not really; but it would be smart to take a quick peek, just to be sure no one was trying to bushwhack him from a fire escape or rooftop ambush; being public enemy number one DID have downsides after all.**

**Having decided this, Negaduck adjusted his black fedora and using his motorcycle as a ladder he grabbed the end of the fire escape that conveniently enough was hanging just above his head. **

**Carefully climbing and making as little noise as possible Dirk ascended all the way up the fire escape and realized that this little three story building was isolated with its own security and safety systems for a reason. From what he could see it was an independent jewelry store and from the looks of the bypass someone had rigged to befuddle any security cameras and alarms it was in the process of being robbed. **

**Curious, Negaduck moved closer and he heard the sounds of someone moving in the air conditioning duct and figured that he was just in time to teach some small timer a lesson about the pecking order of criminals in this city.**

**---**

**Darkwing was feeling much better now that he'd escaped the confines of the lair and Launchpad's well meaning prodding. He drove along the outskirts of the business district and saw Zimmerman's Diamond Emporium. Giving in to fate he squealed to a stop and started to duck into the alley to change into his emergency civilian outfit so he could go into the store. **

**To his shock as he leaped off his bike and into the alley, he ran directly into the front fender of Negaduck's custom motorcycle. His civilian costume forgotten he rubbed at the sore spot where one of the metal studs on the fender had impacted his stomach and muttered to himself, "I don't BELIEVE this…how am I supposed to find the right ring for Morgana if all the jewelers in St. Canard keep getting robbed?"**

**He sighed and drew his gas gun as he moved cautiously toward the front door of the building. Since the Troublemaker was here Negaduck would be in costume, and that meant that even though it wasn't likely he'd actually be in a killing mood when he was interrupted; he wasn't any less dangerous just because they remembered being brothers now.**

**Darkwing quickly recorded an encoded message to Launchpad and sent off the flashquack. Using the little remote plane instead of his phone meant Launchpad would be able to come back him up in case things went bad, but he'd be long enough in getting to the S.H.U.S.H. hanger and pre-flight checking the Thunderquack that Darkwing and Negaduck could face off fairly privately; at least at first. **

**Drake sighed as he recalled their most recent encounter a few days ago at Morgana's. He had gone to her house a little earlier than he'd had to, they were going to eat dinner at the Shadow Chateau and then see a romantic movie so he could show her what most people, meaning he; usually thought of when they were being romantic.**

**Dark really was getting used to how much she liked spooky and creepy stuff, but he wanted to see how she reacted to regular romance so he could tell if she liked what he did when he brought her flowers or other courting gifts. Granted, not zapping him with lightning was generally a positive sign but he honestly wanted to bring up the idea of presents so he could sound her out and find out what she wanted for her birthday. **

**He had discovered that her birthday was in fact in September and he felt kind of bad that he'd been on a mission for S.H.U.S.H. last year and missed it. This year he wanted her birthday to be really special so he had decided that he'd better start figuring out what she would like now. **

**With that in mind he'd been at her house when Dirk had shown up dressed in a Darkwing Duck costume. Drake had felt the Chain around his neck tingle a little bit just as Eek and Archie had reacted. **

**They had been agitated and Morgana had activated her hall mirror to see what had triggered her defenses. Once Dirk had been trapped on the porch roof Morgana had insisted on going outside first to see what would drive Dirk to try and come to her in disguise. Drake hadn't been happy about her risking herself, but he'd agreed on the condition that she'd made her physical shields as strong as possible and allowed him to wait just out of sight of the open doorway to back her up. **

**Darkwing flushed a little at the memory of her gentle touch and the chaste kiss she had rewarded him with once they had given Dirk the little mirror and he'd gone away. Drake had felt his twin's loneliness and just like Morgana he thought that most of Negaduck's criminal actions hid a generally caring soul inside his anger and violence. **

**But even so, neither Drake nor Morgana were foolish enough to trust him just because the Spell chain they wore told them how Dirk felt. It would take a lot more than that to convince him…especially about LP, Gosalyn and the other civilians. At least Negaduck and Dirk both feared and respected Morgana and Mage born, it was one of the few positives that had come out of the two brothers having been reconnected by her Aunt and Uncle after saving Squeek. **

**He and Dirk had been sort of stirred together and both of them could access most of each other's personal memories which was really weird even at its best. But ever since then Drake knew, that even at his worst, Dirk didn't want to kill him. **

**In fact he really seemed to want to interact, that had been part of the reason Drake had made him the offer…about coming as a civilian to the house. Part of him still had doubts about how smart it was, but most of him had been unable to object and so here they were. Stuck trying to work out who they were and how they were supposed to react even though they didn't have much common ground to work with.**

**Cautiously Darkwing opened the front door of the store and stepped inside. For a heart stopping second he thought the people inside were dead until he touched the nearest customer and felt her heartbeat. He saw she was breathing and that the other people slumped around the showroom were also unconscious. **

**It looked as though they had all been drugged, which honestly seemed a little too…well, non violent for Negs. Darkwing reflected doubtfully, Negaduck DID have his own gas gun so maybe this was just his technique to get people out of the way so he didn't have to mess with them. **

**Sighing and holding his gas gun ready he started to move carefully behind the main counter display toward the non public area of the building. As he did so though a particular ring caught his eye. It was made of white gold and had a single fairly large diamond. It was in the shape of a beautiful slender lady duck that reminded him almost too much of Morgana, like her; this figure was lushly implied with a delicate beak and ladylike limbs. She had smooth feathered wings folded along her back and sides and looked like an angel with her flowing dress and a tiny circle of yellow gold in her long wavy hair as a halo.**

**She curved completely around the ring with the bottom of her dress and any feet being obscured by her hair, and the stone was held cupped in her hands. She held them just before her face and the expression of serene strength on the miniscule figure held him captivated until he was jarred out of his trance by the sounds of conflict coming from the back room.**

**Carefully he snuck over to the door marked 'private authorized store personnel only' and listened in shock as Negaduck traded what sounded like witty barbs with someone instead of punches. Careful not to disturb the door, which was unlatched and propped open by what looked like part of a workbench that had fallen against it, Darkwing peeked inside and very nearly gave himself away as he gaped at the sight that met his eyes. **

**Negaduck was circling an opened safe that held some of the store's stock of gems and jewelry that wasn't on display. He was facing off against a female duck dressed in a tight black body suit that left very little to the imagination. Her pert tail peeked provocatively from her backside as she adjusted her red, tunic styled cape that she used to direct attention to her curvaceous figure and away from the large revolver she had just pulled from behind her cape. She was wearing a red mask and had matching red eye shadow on her upper eyelids and matching lipstick that outlined a kissable set of lips. Her short upswept blonde hair was carefully styled and looked as fashion conscious as the rest of her.**

**She like Morgana had a dainty beak and small waist but there the comparisons fell away. This mystery woman was clearly very much a mainstream body type and she chose her clothes to accentuate herself. She was even wearing what looked like designer fashion, high heeled boots that obscured much of her lower legs; this made seeing her feet unlikely but did nothing to distract from her appeal. The high cut body suit that showed off her upper thighs even had a belt that sported small pockets or openings that held various tools and weapons. **

**Before Darkwing could decide if he should rescue the lady from Negaduck, or maybe it was the other way around since they were grappling and shifting all around the safe, and she WAS the one brandishing a gun; Negaduck spoke again, "Alright, I'll give you a few points for style choice on your costume, it DOES distract a hot blooded male like myself. And I'll even give you points for getting the customers and employees out of the way with knockout gas since murder tends to really set off the cops…" **

**He then used his superior strength and experience to disarm her.**

**She snarled in fury that matched Negaduck's usual style, "As IF I'd ever stoop so low as to even look in your direction. You may think you're the top criminal in this city, but to me your all talk and no action. "**

**Drake ducked away as he saw the Chain that usually hid under Dirk's shirt flash in the light from the overturned work light. Negaduck pulled her close and tossed the gun behind them, it skidded on the tile floor and slid to a stop in front of the door and Darkwing gulped as he saw his brother and this woman panting and gasping as they struggled. Negaduck paused for a second and Darkwing held his breath as his Chain responded to the rampant sexual tension between the twosome on the other side of the door. **

**Roughly pinning her against him Negaduck kissed her full on her kissable lips before releasing his hold, to the surprise of both males she responded by grabbing him and pressing herself against him. **

**She molded herself to him and whispered, "That's more like it handsome…"**

**Negaduck was caught by surprise as she melted him with her answering kiss and ran her fingers along the feathers on the back of his neck. His Chain remained securely around his neck even though he felt as though he was being lit up from the inside out as he felt her dancing fingers slide around under his jacket.**

**He managed to keep his head enough to keep her roaming hands away from his weapons, he didn't doubt that she had found where most of them were and how to access them, but that only made his heart pound faster as he kissed her again and firmly held her wrists so she couldn't grab anything he didn't want her to.**

**They jumped apart guiltily as none other than his do-gooder of a twin fell awkwardly head first into the room.**

**---**

_The idea for the design of the ring Darkwing see's in the store is actually an idea by Opus-j and I am hereby giving him credit for a really neat thought or three that is now perking in my twisted brain. LOL Thanks very much J and thank you everyone for reading and reviewing my stuff, your friend Irual._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I am using all of the characters Disney Corporation invented without permission and for NO money or other tangible profit. All the original characters belong to me. I hope you enjoy reading about them and post a nice review or two since that is what I LIVE for. LOL I have NO life as you can tell. This story follows the continuity of my Fan Fictions which begins with the story Hexes & Vexes and doesn't conform entirely to the Darkwing Duck cartoon cannon.**

**Hopefully you will read Hexes and therefore will have no trouble following the differences that pop up in this one. But Hexes had turned out to be SCADS longer than I originally meant it to be; so if you have any questions or anything please feel free to ask me. But I don't think you HAVE to read that one to enjoy this one. Thank you, your fried Irual. Also much thanks to Opus-j and Pokefan 366 and Pottersparky for your plot suggestions and e mails. **

**---**

**Darkwing scrambled awkwardly to his feet and drew his gas gun as the 'Lady' spun around and glared at him. Negaduck was even angrier since he'd been VERY distracted by her and there was no telling how much the dratted do-gooder had witnessed. **

**Seeing the twosome's matching fury made Darkwing gulp self consciously, he thought to himself, '**_maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come in here without LP to back me up…Negs is really flustered and usually when he realizes it he reacts…'_**Frantically Darkwing dodged several knives that Negaduck threw at him as his thought finished, **_'violently'_**.**

**He aimed his gas gun at the two ducks and clearing his throat he stated firmly, or at least as firmly as he could while trying to use the overturned work bench as a shield; "Give up you jewelry nabbing no-goods. I have the drop on you. "**

**He glanced at the open safe and added, "Diamonds may be a girls best friend, but YOU Miss, are going to be regretting your crime spree and spending your time making your friends in the city jail; and as for you Negaduck…'**

**Negaduck sneered at the purple clad crime fighter and interrupted his speech and also foiled the lady's aim as he stepped between her and his twin. She had drawn a knife of her own, and had been going to stab Darkwing with it until Negaduck grabbed it and twisted her wrists making her drop the small knife into his hand. Smiling arrogantly at both of them he tucked the little knife into one of the sheathes built into his cape and keeping a grip on the girl he glared at Darkwing. **

**Negaduck snarled menacingly, "Oh shut your beak, Dripwing, It's getting so a fellow can't even proposition a lady in private anymore. What with nosey do-gooders like you sticking your beak where it doesn't belong."**

**Scooping up a large tray of loose stones Dirk dumped them in a swatch of velvet. Then he turned to the startled female and asked in an almost coy tone; as he stepped close enough to disturb the feathers at the base of her deep V neckline as he spoke persuasively, "Why don't you tell me your name? I have a previous score to settle with good old tacky dresser here. " **

**He slid the package of jewels firmly into the open neck of her costume and settled it just above her chest with a cheeky pat as he stole another swift and passionate kiss before turning her towards the now open door. "but I think you'll change your mind about me, all I need is the chance to show you what you have been missing."**

**He traced the line of her collarbones through the thin material of her costume with his other hand before taking an even firmer grip on her upper arm so she would be unable to draw any more of her weapons and offered, "You have a lot of potential sweet beak, you just need the right finishing touches to send you to the top of the heap. If you play your cards right, I JUST may be the duck for the job."**

**Thoroughly taken off guard by his confidence and bravado and her reaction to it as her knees went weak, she staggered against the self styled public enemy number one as he tucked some of the biggest and most valuable loose stones into her costume. **

**She was almost mesmerized for a few precious seconds as her heart raced but then she caught sight of the openly staring Darkwing, whose jaw was now dangling open like a bug catcher; and her embarrassment over her loss of control over both this heist and herself broke the spell…at least temporarily.**

**Anna tried to get a hold of herself and only JUST managed to keep her wits about her enough to keep her real name to herself. She HAD in fact recognized Darkwing from S.H.U.S.H.'s records and from his reaction he didn't recognize her as the disgraced former S.H.U.S.H. agent Anna Tidae from his assignment in Duckburg a few weeks ago.**

**She was VERY glad she had never spoken to him directly and her mask and flamboyant costume had evidently been enough to confuse his memory for now. But it wasn't smart to take a chance, in spite of his stupor and clumsiness, she HAD in fact seen his success rate and knew he could be competent IF he got himself to thinking and that was the last thing she wanted from either male at the moment.**

**Taking a deep breath she smiled coyly and whispered her name in the closer Male's ear, "You can call me Muscovy Duck handsome, and I'll take into account your fashion sense. " **

**Irritated she snarled at Darkwing as Negaduck moved her past him, "YOU can not call me at all you fashion disaster. "**

**Negaduck laughed, and unlike his usual cruel sneer this laugh actually sounded as though he was amused as he blocked her from kicking Darkwing. Darkwing was meanwhile thoroughly befuddled as the two criminals basically ignored him. **

**Negaduck pushed her firmly out of the room and added, "You'll have to earn it though, a sexy tail will only get you an audition babe, and you still have to pass the test. Darkwing and I are going to finish our little dialog and I'll find you later." He distracted her by barely brushing his fingertips across her tail. **

**He leered and grinned as he adjusted his red fedora and finished, " You seem a class act and all, and I DO know how to treat a Lady, but it seems as though I am going to have to show this two bit crime fighter the error of his ways, so I'll have to let you see yourself out." **

**Firmly he shut the door and turned to his twin with a snarl of fury, "Alright Do-gooder, now I'm really mad! What makes you think you can waltz in and interrupt me when I'm WORKING?"**

**Gathering his wits Darkwing gasped incredulously, "Working? You mean stealing! And I'll have you know fighting you is the last thing on my list right now!"**

**As the two of them were yelling these things at each other, they were struggling all over the room. Aside from landing a few strikes and kicks they were evenly matched and since Negaduck was still distracted by the sexy young duck he had just ushered out the door, he wasn't actually putting one hundred percent of his usual efforts into hurting Darkwing. He WAS very upset at having been interrupted though.**

**Embarrassed by his brother's bold pursuit of the girl; and feeling a little humiliated at being basically ignored by them, and upset about being interrupted in his search for an engagement ring, Darkwing felt his temper rise in response to being attacked. Ordinarily, both mallards were tactically inclined and in spite of their impulsive natures; nether one liked getting hurt, or having to put up with recovering from injuries. As they struggled though, neither one paid a lot of attention to the fact that the people in the other room were waking up, not until they both heard the wail of police sirens coming toward the building anyway.**

**Negaduck sneered at Darkwing and hung his cape over the lamp bolted to the overturned workbench before pulling DW's hat over his eyes and knocking the masked mallard's gas gun away. As his heroic counterpart struggled determinedly to free himself he sputtered and fumed as he moved the brim of his hat and caught glimpses of Negaduck swiftly ransacking the rest of the safe before pulling himself up into the air-conditioning vent. **

**Just as Darkwing freed his left arm from his cape and was trying to get the leverage to pull his cape loose, he heard Negaduck call back to him, "Don't worry Dipwing Dork, I'll make sure you are here to explain why YOUR fingerprints are all over the safe. Those police officers appreciate that sort of help I'm sure…See you next crime LOOSER!" **

**---**

**Launchpad had by this time actually arrived in the Thunderquack and landed in one of the vacant lots nearby. He didn't notice the swiftly moving figure of Muscovy Duck who had gone very quietly around the other side of the building after being excluded from the back room, avoiding the slightly stirring customers and employees. **

**Anna had actually debated sabotaging both of the color coordinated Motorcycles she had found in the alleyway to keep either duck from following her, but Launchpad's arrival made her change her mind.**

**As she moved quietly away from the upscale jewelry store she grinned to herself and hit the self destruct signal on the camera loop so that the store security would signal the police. As she left to the sound of sirens coming closer she DID pause on a rooftop about eight blocks away to examine the bundles of gems the black masked duck had brazenly tucked into the neck of her costume.**

**The soft black velvet filled in the V of her neckline and she had to force herself to focus as the soft folds of cloth with the distinctive lumps and bumps of precious stones apparent to her sense of touch slid free.**

**In spite of herself she gasped as she realized Negaduck had picked exactly the right tray to dump into the bundle. The smaller uncut stones were perfect for fencing to some of the more…unscrupulous pawn shops to get immediate cash.**

**She looked into the second bundle he had shamelessly tucked into her costume and swallowed hard. The first batch was mediocre in comparison to the larger stones he had smoothly nestled into her costume as he'd kept her distracted by acting as though he was going to be a bit less of a gentleman than he'd been. This bundle held at least a dozen of the prime cut stones she had been after when she'd first cased the store a few days ago.**

**Muscovy needed working capital and connections in order to become more than just a petty burglar or mid level criminal. So, she had intended to offer a few choice gems to some of the 'collectors' who's names she had hacked out of S.H.U.S.H.'s watch files and cross referenced with various financial records. **

**She had known her passwords and data keys would be rendered invalid as soon as Special Agent DD made his report; unfortunately for S.H.U.S.H., he had waited until the morning AFTER her escape to do so; that had given her time to secure other means of accessing the kinds of data she could use to make important connections without setting off anything sensitive. **

**As per regulations, the whole task force had been turned out in the effort to 'rescue' her once the containment truck had been compromised. They had also attempted to keep custody of the members of the fearsome five they had captured, fortunately for Anna; the villains in question had proved to be an excellent diversion. **

**After her 'disappearance' and subsequently being declared 'missing and presumed dead' after her escape from S.H.U.S.H. custody; this was her chance to decide her own destiny and she had NO intentions of being anything less than a complete success.**

**She prudently folded both packets and snuggled them into her carefully concealed side pockets built into her costume under her cape and ran off. It wouldn't do to be caught now, and even IF neither of those two came after her tonight, she had the distinct impression that avoiding either one of them would be next to impossible IF she stayed in St. Canard for long.**

**As she disappeared into the maze of alleys and side streets that honeycombed the parts of town that hadn't yet been blessed, or cursed depending on your point of view; by the Mayor's urban renewal projects; Muscovy toyed for just a few seconds with the thought of taking the proceeds from selling these gems and leaving the area entirely. **

**She could live very well, if quietly off the sale of the stones…. Maybe even start an entirely new, legal life…but then her pride kicked in. The boring life of a law abiding citizen, working a mind stifling nine to five job; punching a clock was NOT what she had escaped for.**

**If she'd wanted to die of that kind of boredom she could have stayed in 'protective custody' and let that nut Dr. Bellum try and psycho-analyze her for a few months. Those fools at S.H.U.S.H. were so used to their rules and regulations that Anna was sure it would be no real problem to escape them anytime. All she would have to do is throw something a little different and preferably lethal at them and they'd scatter like roaches.**

**Instead she had escaped the wreck of the super villain containment truck and faked her death in order to begin her new life right away. She DID need money, so these little thefts were the first step in her plan.**

**Once she established herself as someone who could get the job done in the criminal underworld, her employers would supply her day to day expenses. Then she could seize any extras that caught her fancy as her own little bonus package. Tucking the last stone, a very large and well shaped diamond securely into her other pocket; she moved silently into the shadows to disappear while the minions of the law busied themselves with the terror that flapped and his double.**

**She started to laugh at the thought of that purple clad duck and how utterly embarrassed he'd been when she'd kissed Negaduck. But the memory of Negaduck's strong body pressing against her; and the way he'd taken control of the situation in the blink of an eye, refused to leave her alone. **

**She glanced around and her intelligence and former law enforcement training, made her pause and concentrate on getting her heart rate to slow to normal. Shivering from something other than chills, since the temperature was at least eighty; she forced herself to think of whom she could contact to fence a few of the smallest and most common gems.**

**Until she could hole up somewhere safe, she was alone and a woman, that meant she couldn't afford distractions…no matter HOW tempting they were. Later that night though, after changing into a much more conservative outfit and hiding the gems in a safety deposit box she had rented under one of her false identities; she found in spite of a long cold shower; and extensive grooming of her feathers, she couldn't get rid of the memory of Negaduck's touch entirely.**

**---**

**Back at the jewelry store, Launchpad went inside to find people stirring and struggling as they attempted to throw off the effects of what looked like a variant of DW's knockout gas.**

**Concerned he called out, "DW, where are you?" **

**He heard a commotion from the back room and started to investigate. Cautiously he pushed against the door to the private area of the store and found Darkwing wearily pulling himself together amid the ruins of a ransacked safe and what looked like the area where the store cleaned and repaired jewelry.**

**Sounding discouraged Darkwing said as he looked up from trying to unhook his cape from the lamp bolted to the end of the upended workbench. "Ugh…LP, could you get me unhooked from this thing?" **

**Launchpad chuckled and said, "Sure thing DW…" **

**He glanced nervously around and continued, "You said in the flash quack's message that Negaduck was here…" **

**He waited a second and then asked, "So…what happened?"**

**Darkwing blushed as he reluctantly admitted, "He was here with some new criminal I've never seen before, and she was dressed in a mask and cape…"**

**Launchpad's eye's bugged as he whistled in surprise," SHE? This new crook is a girl?" **

**Sighing Darkwing turned a deeper shade of red as he led the way out of the back room and he and LP began to revive the people behind the counter. **

**Quietly he admitted, "I doubt she has any super powers LP, but from what little I picked up, she had this robbery pretty well planned. I think Negaduck surprised her and they would have kept on fighting each other for at least a few more minutes, but my foot slipped on something back here and I surprised them before they could reach an agreement."**

**His blush threatened to become a faint as he swiftly tried to change the subject. Gesturing to the police officers who were rushing in the door, Darkwing failed to notice as the Chain around his neck began to interfere again. At first the police were understandably cautious as they searched the premises and helped E.M.T.'s and paramedics load groggy people into ambulances. **

**However, because of the Chain's subtle and very gentle compulsion, just like last time…No one tried to detain them. In fact one of the senior responding officers was Bobby Beagle, one of the street level cops who actually supported Darkwing within the police force. **

**That was likely the biggest reason why he was still a street level operative in spite of an impressive case record and almost five years of outstanding service. He and Darkwing had first met back when Officer Beagle had been transferred to St. Canard from Duckburg and he'd been assigned to the gang wars taskforce. Darkwing had helped him and many other police officers since then, but anyone who was too staunch in their support of the masked mallard in the hearing of the more politically minded higher ups generally didn't receive promotions very often. **

**Pulling out an old fashioned notebook Officer Beagle began taking notes from his observations of the store's condition. The crime scene investigative unit was going to be pissed as it was…this was definitely NOT a pristine site for evidence gathering. He noticed Darkwing over by one of the displays and hurriedly pulled the masked duck and his sidekick back a step or two. **

**Surprised Darkwing turned to look at Officer Beagle who explained, "Sorry there Darkwing, I just didn't want your print's to confuse anyone when the C.S.I.'s come to dust for prints. Did you notice anything significant that I should make a note of?"**

**His sharp eyes noticed that Darkwing's gaze had returned to the display while he spoke so he glanced at the case in curiosity. For his part DW didn't answer right away, although he DID carefully put his hands behind his back as he leaned in for a closer look.**

**Darkwing replied distractedly, "I noticed Negaduck's motorcycle and came inside to see if he was still here. There should be tire tracks right by the Ratcatcher that will match his tires…when I came inside someone had gassed the customers and employees and I heard noises from the back room. But on my way back there I noticed a really unusual ring in this case, but now it's gone. Also I want to go on record as saying Negaduck's finger prints will be all over the back room and there was another unknown criminal as well."**

**For some reason Officer Beagle couldn't quite figure out Darkwing seemed particularly disappointed by the disappearance of this mysterious ring. Reluctantly Darkwing turned away from the case and moved to help one of the EMT crews as they ministered to what looked like the senior clerk. **

**He had heard their conversation and instead of staying quietly on the blanket he'd been given and sucking in oxygen from the mask they had attacked to his face, he'd come up beside them and was peering into the undamaged case.**

**Irritated he pulled the mask away and said, "I am Mr. Zimmerman and I own the store, my family and I personally buy all our stock and I can assure you that nothing in this case has been removed."**

**The store owner glanced miserably behind himself and sagged noticeably as Darkwing and Launchpad rushed to catch him. Surprised that the man had moved, the E.M.T.'s loaded him onto a stretcher and wheeled him out to one of the waiting ambulances.**

**Launchpad shrugged and offered, "When we catch Negaduck we can try and get some of that poor man's jewelry back for him right DW?"**

**Absently Darkwing finished giving Officer Beagle his report about both Negaduck's involvement and the new mysterious criminal. And after offering to submit to a lie detector test to prove HE hadn't tried to rob the store since he and Negs shared identical finger prints he moved to get the Ratcatcher from the alley."**

**Officer Beagle sighed as he carefully noted down everything and got a couple of firemen and his partner O'Grady to initial his preliminary report. As much as he liked Darkwing and KNEW how much he helped defuse crime especially when dealing with the kinds of truly weird stuff that cropped up regularly in this city, dealing with him in a robbery like this was always a pain when Negaduck was involved. Just about the only real physical differences they had were retinal scans and voice recondition, they could imitate each other over the short term to well enough to fool most people, but the unique timber of their vocal cords could be detected by modern security now. **

**Darkwing and his friends in law enforcement were grateful for this since now he could definitively prove he was Darkwing and no longer had to fear being booked by accident. The only downside was that neither of those things would be helpful to the C.S.I.'s gathering evidence for this case. **

**The fingerprint evidence would most likely be thrown out of court IF Negaduck was even charged with this…it HAD happened before after all. Knowing this the C.S.I.'s were very unhappy as they began their work, they could only hope that there would be other evidence they could find or this case could end up having insufficient evidence available to pursue it.**

**The CSI team had already taken castings of the tire treads next to the distinctive red and purple motorcycle Darkwing drove, and were busy snapping photos of the bike when LP and Darkwing came up to it. At first he thought they were taking pictures for souvenirs until he realized that his precious bike now sported two slashed tires.**

**Furious he put the Motorcycle into neutral and began pushing it determinedly out of the alley. He DID make sure the evidence gatherers were done before he obliterated the tracks and moved his bike but he fumed and fussed to Launchpad as he pushed the bike toward the vacant lot where LP said the Thunderquack waited.**

**Cautiously LP TRIED to interject a voice of reason, or at least calm as he unobtrusively helped Darkwing push the Ratcatcher along as a crowd of onlookers began to gather. "Heh, he, heh well DW it could be worse…" **

**He winced at the glare that his best friend leveled at him as Darkwing struggled to maintain his momentum and steer the motorbike past the gawkers.**

**Launchpad continued in a determinedly cheerful tone," They COULD have tried to keep the Ratcatcher as evidence like they did last time Negaduck was involved in a case."**

**Unfortunately for Darkwing this observation did nothing to calm his temper or frustration. Knowing they were being watched and that LP didn't mean to make matters worse, DW took several deep breaths and said very quietly as they worked to load the bike into the plane's cargo area. "LP, just so you know, YOUR NOT HELPING okay?"**

**Launchpad looked like a kicked puppy and sniffed, "But DW…"**

**Realizing that he'd accidentally hurt Launchpad's feelings, Darkwing felt a HUGE upwelling of guilt and swiftly moved to pat his sidekick's arm. "I'm SORRY LP, you really ARE a BIG help. I'm just upset because Negaduck got away, and now there is this new jewel thief to apprehend and the Ratcatcher needs new tires and to top it all off if I had waited for you, the ring I saw might still have been in the store." **

**Launchpad perked up at this apology and then looked puzzled, "Really? That's okay DW; we'll get them next time. That fellow seemed pretty sure that nothing had been taken out of that case though DW."**

**Darkwing nodded as they got into the plane and headed for the bridge, "I know LP but…I KNOW what I saw, it was the PERFECT ring for Morgana. Oh well, I probably couldn't even afford a payment plan from an upscale jeweler like Zimmerman's. But Morgana deserves something classy like that ring. I tell you Launchpad it was perfect…. Oh and don't let me forget to update the files at the lair about the jewel thief okay?" **

**Feeling better Launchpad agreed readily, "sure thing Darkwing. It will give me a chance to hear what she looked like so I recognize her in case we run into her again too."**

**Darkwing nodded and muttered, "I have the feeling we will definitely be seeing a lot more of her soon enough LP. We'd better hurry home though, there's no telling what Gos and Honker have been up to while we have been gone, and Mr. and Mrs. Muddlefoot should be home soon and I don't want to miss their call."**

**Launchpad grinned as he realized that Drake was actually making a real effort to be considerate and he nodded encouragingly as Drake continued sounding a little anxious, "Not that Honker isn't welcome to stay over whenever he want's of course, but I don't want Binkie or Herb to think we are too busy for them or anything."**

**Nodding and smiling as he felt a warm fuzzy feeling from his chest at how much better Drake was now when it came to admitting his feelings, Launchpad headed for the tower. He was going to have to change the tires on the Ratcatcher before he headed home so the quicker they got there the better. **

**Launchpad's grin widened as he reflected on his new family and how close they all were now. He turned the Thunderquack toward the tower lair so he could drop the Ratcatcher off and land the plane in S.H.U.S.H.'s secure hanger without adding to the stress being put on the completed tower. **

**Launchpad's eyes turned a little more solemn as he admitted to himself that he'd be REALLY glad when he could park the plane in it's usual place instead, then they wouldn't have to keep going back and forth like this.**

**Not that it would hurt Drake to have to rush home while LP changed the tires, Drake definitely had a point about Gosalyn and he DID tend to spot her mischief quicker than anyone else; as well as being the person most likely to reign it in before total disaster struck. **

**Gos really didn't mean to get into so much trouble, but it was like the tide; You just couldn't stop trouble around Gosalyn, all you could do was go with the flow. It was kind of the same thing that tended to happen around Drake come to think of it, he tended to have chaos and disaster all around him at every turn too. But with Launchpad McQuack on the job, it was all sure to work out.**

**---**

**Grimm growled a little in frustration as he watched the two ducks flying back to the tower in the plane. Their images were being reflected off of the glass front of the display case in Mintaka's parlor room. Irritated he nudged the red velvet lined false finger that had been inside the display case in the store in St. Canard.**

**The angel shaped ring displayed on it shown in the firelight as Grimm debated how to be certain that Drake 'found' the ring; hopefully before the full moon Saturday. Drake HAD seen it in the store, unfortunately though; even with the minor compulsion spell on it that had caught his attention, Drake's innate honesty and the distraction of trying to apprehend the criminals that WERE stealing had kept him from accepting it.**

**From the excited whispers he had gotten earlier from Squeek, it sounded as though all their hard work was about to culminate in the two youngsters FINALLY taking the next step in their relationship. Grimm certainly hoped so, the sooner the two of them settled down and began taking care of each other on a consistent daily basis, the sooner they would heal and so would Squeek.**

**Grimm's ears flattened against his skull as he recalled just how close they had all come to real tragedy when Lafayette had impaled Squeek in an attempt to torture Morgana into submitting to his enslavement. Mossie, Kaa and Raa were of the opinion that it was creation's grace alone that had arranged for Drake's estranged brother to be involved in the fight. Much less providing the angry and badly hurt duck with motivation for helping to defeat Lafayette and then being of vital assistance in saving Drake, Squeek and Morgana. **

**Grimm couldn't fault their logic, or escape the reality of how the political fallout of that whole mess had rearranged the Power structure within the council.**

**Since Lafayette's imprisonment and his mother's subsequent petition, offering herself and her twin daughters to the Macabre's as partial payment of their debt and disgrace, neither Mintaka nor Lucidia had had more than a few hours of uninterrupted rest in the last few weeks. This being the case, Grimm thought it only fair that he take the details of helping Drake and Morgana into his own capable paws. **

**He paused in his woolgathering to glare accusingly at the innocent ring in front of his nose. Next to it lay the masculine counterpart that had been specifically crafted for Drake, just as the first had been for Morgana. **

**It was a similar design in that the body of the ring was shaped and three dimensional as opposed to a more ordinary flat circle. This ring, like the angel design had its base made of white gold but this one was crafted into the sinuous shape of a winged dragon.**

**The creatures tiny legs were close to its body and the elongated bat-like wings that covered about half of the design were accented with yellow gold as was the tiny pattern of scales that could be discerned by peering very closely. Its eyes were a matched pair of tiny sapphires that were so dark that they appeared black until the light struck them, and then their deep blue brilliance became apparent. **

**The circle completed itself by having the tail wrap partially around the body ending just behind where the wings lay over the back. The ring's bas-relief carved details were remarkably lifelike but remained as stylized as the angel figure although she was just as compelling; even without the compulsion which Grimm removed since it would no longer be necessary. **

**If his new and much improved plan worked, he could even be there to see it's fruition since he HAD planned on seeing Sekhmet and escorting some of her most recent litter around the physical plane this full moon. Grimm's whiskers flexed as he grinned with satisfaction at that thought and added wryly to himself. **

**It would hardly be matchmaking if in the course of his little tour they came across a large group of Normal children. After all, children were far more mentally and emotionally flexible; and if they just HAPPENED to be in the vicinity of Drake and Morgana, and the two of them just HAPPENED to need a nudge or two, well then his kittens would be more than up to the job.**

**This would even be educational for them, especially since Grimm had been wanting to see how their adaptation skills were coming along, as well as introduce them to the wider concept of the entire population of sentient beings on the planet, NOT just the isolated pockets of mage born and Monster-kind they had been spying on lately.**

**Grimm's sense of irritation faded as this train of thought sparked a different plan for Morgana's ring as well. He decided to wait until the Normals were packing their machine with camping gear and starting for the caves on Friday. Then he could put Morgana's ring in one of those tiny boxes like the ones he had seen in the jewelry store and slip it into a pocket of Drake's vest. That way once he got a few minutes alone with Morgana, and he started to talk to her, he would feel the box and once he realized what it was, hopefully he'd get the idea.**

**Just to be sure though Grimm also decided to stack the deck on the other side of the equation. Morgana was planning on going to Drake's home Wednesday, if he waited until then and had Archie slip the masculine ring into Morgana's bag after she packed for the trip, it would be right there and handy once the two were alone.**

**Archie, Eek or even Squeek as injured as he was could easily manifest a nearby physical object after all and once she got Drake alone, they could suggest that she ask him herself and produce the ring. Also, since Grimm HAD by this time become accustomed to the unusual amount of difficulty the Mallard's seemed to have with sticking to ANY planned itinerary, even one they knew about, much less one they didn't; he decided that it was only wisdom NOT desperation that dictated his next move.**

**---**

**Negaduck meanwhile had out maneuvered his double and made his way to the roof hoping to pick up the trail of that girl who called herself Muscovy Duck. As he was looking out over the city from the vantage point of the building's roof he saw he didn't have much time before the minions of the law arrived. Setting aside his disappointment, Negaduck paused only to use the sharp little knife he'd appropriated from her to slash Darkwing's tires before roaring off on his motorcycle. **

**Negaduck grinned as he reflected on the likelihood of the police detaining Darkwing since his prints were identical to the Hero's, but then he sobered as he admitted that more than a few of the street level cops actually cut his double a lot of slack; unofficially at least.**

**The most he could likely count on would be to frustrate the self styled shadowy guardian of the city by damaging the Ratcatcher. That, all by itself, was enough to cause him to smile as he disappeared into the criminal underbelly of St. Canard. He had better things to do than harass Drake now anyway…he had a date with a certain sexy lady, or he would when he found her again anyway….**

**After doing a little checking around and having a drink at the Old Haunt Negaduck decided that he'd make this an early night for once and get some sleep. He HAD picked up a couple of interesting tidbits in regards to this newcomer but nothing definite about her actual whereabouts. **

**She WAS a very recent addition to the rumor mill though, the first ANYONE seemed to have heard of anyone even remotely answering her description was about a month ago, and since she was definitely older than a month…. Irritated with himself, Negs forced himself to stop grinning as he realized that Bruce, his regular bartender; was backing away nervously instead of refilling his glass.**

**Negaduck gestured impatiently with his mug and glared. "One more for the road Bruce and DON'T spill any this time."**

**The bartender braced himself and refilled Negaduck's glass. Usually the regular customers here were the sort that tended to be surly and angry unless they were celebrating so he didn't expect much of a tip from the masked duck, in fact most of the people in the bar were carefully watching the duck trying to anticipate which way he was going to jump so they could dodge. To his surprise though, Negs slipped him a twenty and drained his glass without any further comments.**

**Leaving the bar, Negaduck carefully checked his bike before getting on. Someone HAD tried to be cute and sabotaged the Troublemaker once…of course; the small time crook who'd thought to take out Negs that way had made an excellent object lesson. **

**Just to be certain word got out the way he'd wanted it to, Negaduck had systematically broken bone after bone until the shattered wreck had begged piteously for an end to the torture. Then, and only then; he had been roughly dumped in front of the free clinic down the street. He'd been forced to admit to his attempted murder of Negaduck to the shocked beat cop and the homeless and thoroughly frightened citizens who had swiftly lined up for the news vans that had picked up on the story. **

**The rest of the five had actually done a fairly good job keeping the rest of the usual criminals out of the news long enough for the publicity Negaduck had wanted to be aired but even so, Negs wasn't stupid by any means and he was VERY careful especially in this neighborhood.**

**---**

**Back at the Mallard house Gosalyn was fast becoming bored with staying home. She had managed to convince Launchpad to let Honker and her stay at the lair for a little while; but her Dad had been gone for hours. **

**Even though she'd begged and pleaded with Launchpad, and even used her soon to be patented sad pouty face on him; he'd sent them back to the house when he'd gotten the flashquack message about the break in and gone to help Dad. To make matters even worse, from HER point of view anyway; Launchpad had also made them pinky swear promise to stay home and NOT to go back to the lair, or try and do ANYTHING Drake would consider against his instructions. **

**The only way they could get out of the restrictions about the lair or anything REALLY fun; would be if Launchpad or Dad said they could. Unhappily Gosalyn bounced her basketball against the garage door and fumed as she reflected on the unfairness of the universe. She was Gosalyn Mallard apprentice crime fighter, NOT a baby after all. She fussed as she threw the ball and caught it as it rebounded off the garage again.**

**Suddenly she realized that she had been talking to Honker for the last ten minutes at least and he hadn't said anything. Granted, Honker wasn't usually much of a talker, and ordinarily when Gosalyn was letting off steam, Honk tended to just go with the flow of the conversation and let her get things off her chest. But even for Honker he was too quiet and Gosalyn finally noticed, as she looked; her instincts began to whisper to her that something was off about her best friend.**

**Gosalyn moved to the front steps and took a closer look at him, "Hey, Honker?"**

**Honker usually had his beak deep in his research since he was a devoted bibliomaniac and was completely fascinated with learning as much as possible about nearly EVERYTHING.**

**He did indeed have a large book in his lap and his backpack was loaded with his usual assortment of research materials including his laptop that he'd been upgrading regularly since Drake had given it to him. With its wireless capacity and his assortment of passwords for the data networks he frequented, his old fashioned hard copy books seemed well, redundant.**

**For Honker though, nothing would ever completely replace the sheer enjoyment and relaxation he got from turning paper pages, not to mention how much easier it was to remember things after he read them from a book instead of from a screen. **

**But he wasn't reading, instead he seemed to be staring straight ahead without looking at anything. Gos was really concerned as she realized he was trembling just a little and when she reached as though to touch his arm he jerked and fell head first off the step. Fortunately there were only two steps and he didn't appear to hurt himself…much.**

**Sheer surprise made her jump back and then rush forward, basketball forgotten as she tried to help him up. He rubbed at a few sore places as she asked worriedly, "What's wrong Honker?"**

**For a second she could have sworn he looked scared for some reason but then he blinked and before she could push for anything more the front door opened and Drake rushed out. Drake had just gotten home and grasping that no one was home he rushed out the front door to find the kids. **

**Unfortunately he also rushed directly onto poor Honker and sprawled awkwardly at his darling daughter's feet as he struggled to minimize the damages to the ten year old Duckling. Sitting up and pulling Honker to his feet Drake chuckled as he realized that, for once anyway, both Ducklings had in fact obeyed him; and were right where they should have been.**

**Delighted at this evidence that his parenting was 'apparently' getting through to his daughter he offered, "Hi Gos. Sorry about that Honker…I am really glad the two of you managed to behave for once. As a reward, how would you two like to help me start dinner?"**

**Gosalyn snorted and said, "Making dinner? What kind of a reward is that DAD?"**

**Grinning at her tone he offered, "It's the kind of reward that means we will be ready for LP when he gets home. He is changing the tires of the Ratcatcher and I'm sure he'll have worked up quite an appetite by the time he gets done. Besides I have a little something special in mind for dinner. I remember how much you complained about our supplies last time we were in the great outdoors Gos and I picked up a new cookbook."**

**Both Ducklings winced as Drake pretended not to notice and grabbed them both by their collars and dragged them after him back into the kitchen. He got out cans and boxes from cupboards and shelves while Honker, who was actually grateful for this major distraction; forced himself to ignore his miserable thoughts and focused on the recipe book on the table. It was labeled, 'Outdoor Cooking made Easy' and claimed to contain recipes that used regular ingredients and made 'gourmet' meals in cast iron cookware.**

**Grasping this suddenly, he dodged under the table and dragged the complaining Gos after him while Mr. Mallard struggled with a heavy Dutch oven and several cast iron skillets. Drake could have easily carried them one at a time, but he like Gos tended to try and accomplish as much as possible as quickly as possible, and so the heavy and awkward cookware was proving to be something of a challenge.**

**Fortunately the dinner preparations proceeded without major injury or incident and just before dinner Honker's mother called to say they would be home with the safely treated Tank just after seven so Honker got to try the surprisingly tasty combination that Mr. Mallard whipped up. Thanks to his new cookbook, the menu was both filling and flavorful in spite being burned on the bottom.**

**Picking his teeth appreciatively Launchpad grinned at Drake and offered, "That was great Drake, I'll help you soak the pot and we can try a few more of those recipes before we go. I'm sure by Saturday you'll have camp cooking all wrapped up."**

**Even Gos and Honker had been a bit impressed by the blueberry pot pie for desert and since they were at home they had been allowed to add liberal scoops of vanilla ice cream as well which made the treat even better. **

**In spite of the general success of the dinner, Drake noticed that Honker seemed more than a bit distracted and apprehensive for some reason, but before he could think of a way to wiggle any details out of him or think of any reasons why Honker would be so jumpy, the Muddlefoots arrived next door and Honker had left for home.**

**---**

_Here is the next bit and after this we jump to the campground and its ensuing excitement. Also Honker's mental stress is revealed at the campground as well as Drake's panic over not having any success in either his efforts to track down the mysterious jewel thief OR in getting a ring for his Lady. Please read and review thanks, Your friend Irual_


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Disney owns every duck like person in this story and also invented Duckburg and St. Canard and I am playing with all of them without permission and for No money at all. (Now that that unpleasant reality has been dispensed with, on to the good stuff) LOL please read and review thank you.**

**---**

**Dirk Mallard mild mannered investor and private citizen, the new civilian identity of the short white feathered mallard usually known as Negaduck; surveyed the interior of the theater building through the open doorway of the managers office with thinly veiled irritation. It's old fashioned set up meant that there was plenty of room for his preparations since the stage area could host live performances as well as show images on the drop screen the way a modern movie theatre did. **

**He sighed and visibly gathered his patience as he glanced at the newspapers and contracts on the desk in the theater manager's office. Hidden under his baby blue button up shirt and lemon yellow sweater vest, the braided loop of Spell chain that had attached itself to him after he had helped save Morgana's familiar hummed quietly. **

**He didn't really notice its effects, but the subtle calming influence it had on his temper DID mean he could TRY and stay in character without exploding and destroying the office as the property manager nattered on about the various clauses in the contract. It was at times like this, that Dirk truly missed being the absolute ruler of the Negaverse's St. Canard. There he wouldn't have had to go through all this nonsense, all he'd have done is rode up on his Motorcycle and taken over the building.**

**IF there had been anyone using it, they would have caved in and given him carte blanche and he could have even press ganged them into working on his project for him in exchange for not hurting them or burning down the building. Ever since he'd discovered that the Negaverse was actually a powerful spell that had kept him imprisoned for the last sixteen years or so though, he'd avoided going into any of the rips and portals he'd found. **

**He'd even offered that weird Granny Babalawo Beagle a major pile of loot in exchange for her help in destroying most of the larger tears as he found them. Just the thought of that whole experience raised his fury to new heights, NO ONE kept him prisoner! AND he WASN'T going to give in to the temptation to go back; NOT EVER. **

**He flinched inside as he admitted that the worst part of his pain, was realizing that his love Cygnet and his precious Gosalyn had been lies, false copies of the real versions of ducks here. Even though Cygnet had been killed years ago her loss still hurt, and the much more recent realization about his Gosalyn…. **

**He shuddered a little and forced himself to pay attention to the manager and stand still as the man finally handed over the paperwork giving him legal ownership and creative control over the theater and the two buildings on either side of it. Having to deal with people here was exasperating but Dirk WAS highly intelligent and he KNEW that he needed to establish more than just his identity as Negaduck since he was NEVER going to be imprisoned in the Negaverse again. **

**Dirk hated to admit it, but doing things in this civilian disguise sucked. He could almost sympathize with Drake; dealing with this pompous idiot was nearly as coma inducing as listening to Tuskernini spout off. It was really embarrassing to have to dress this way as well, if he had any other choices he'd have chosen a well cut business suit or sportier ensemble. But he wasn't going back to the Negaverse, and it was really difficult to get any of his loot sent through any of the tears from there unless he happened to get a hold of the version of Launchpad or Herb Muddlefoot from the Negaverse. **

**They were unswervingly loyal and obedient if not smart. But having them access his caches of weapons or money or valuables was random at best so his money situation was actually kind of tight especially since he'd paid Granny Babalawo up front for her help. He hadn't really wanted to but, dealing with those Macabre's had taught him the value of NOT being indebted to ANY Mage born.**

**Their idea of repayment had shattered his sense of self and pretty much forced him into admitting how much he cared about his twin and his little family, all by itself that just sucked eggs. It had also pretty much dictated that he face having been imprisoned and duped, that hadn't been half as bad; or embarrassing, since he had used the anger that brought on to focus on his goals here.**

**One of those goals was to establish at least one, preferably several more identities here; not just Negaduck. One of the reasons why he'd bought this parcel of real estate from the property management company had been to begin doing so as a small time investor, as his fortune grew so could his reputation and it would lead to different contacts.**

**He certainly intended to be wealthy, powerful and successful here but he'd have to go about it differently and since he DID already own a few small buildings and a couple of businesses here he figured that real estate was the way to go. At least for now anyway, his portfolio and financial credentials had been enough to impress the management company, and a little careful manipulation of a few key stocks had provided the assets he'd needed. **

**Unfortunately though, his machinations had left him with very little in the way of non costume clothes and he knew better than to skimp on his tools and weapons, so he'd been forced into this embarrassing outfit in order to avoid being late. Speaking of which, he needed to get rid of this guy before anyone else showed up and tipped the property manager off. Cutting off the well meaning fellow in mid sentence, Dirk placed the receipt for the sale of the theater and its adjoining properties in the Stork-like man's hands. **

**Then Dirk said as he hurried him out the stage entrance. "Don't you worry, I have several experienced people lined up who LIVE for the theater, they will be sure that everything is cleaned up and ready for my little project. I have your card and I'll contact you if I need anything else."**

**For a brief second Negaduck's steely gaze looked out of Dirk's eyes in spite of himself and the manager gulped as chills ran up and down his spine. Clutching the receipt like a drowning man would a life line he stuttered, "Thank you Mr. Mallard Sir. It has been a pleasure to serve you."**

**Dirk Mallard turned swiftly and going back into what was now his office, he debated looking over the contract again; but instead he made a digital copy and locked the original in the safe. Swiftly he made a few phone calls to a talent/modeling agency and then he went to the Nega Sweets candy company.**

**Even without Morgana's agreeing to bewitch his smuggled diamonds and make them larger, the candy company actually made a tidy and entirely legal profit from the seasonal array of candies it manufactured. Since he'd gone low profile, Dirk seldom bothered the people who ran the plant. **

**Most of it was entirely automated anyway, and having those few legitimate employees and the right paperwork meant that his diamond smuggling had gone undetected. Being VERY smart though, Negaduck had completely stopped all the illegal activities after his do-gooder double had seen too much. He actually used it as a legal cover to supply him with a nominal income and a little money laundering for other criminals now, but that wasn't actually the reason for this visit either.**

**Swiftly he went to the plant manager and got a large batch of samples of the candies that were already being made for Halloween. Since Halloween was the biggest candy holiday on the calendar, it would take from now to the last week of October to finish the quotas he had contracts for just for the local market, but this box would make only a nominal difference and he needed a distraction. **

**---**

**Launchpad surveyed the loaded We-Haul trailer with satisfaction. For once all the trip preparations were right on schedule and were going smoothly. Then he glanced behind him towards the open garage door and sighed, well ALMOST everything was going well. **

**Drake was frantically rushing around nervously pacing in the garage instead of getting the last few camping supplies off the shelves. He was mumbling and muttering to himself as he paced and from where he was, Launchpad couldn't really make out what his best buddy was saying, but then again he didn't really have to. **

**Drake had been trying without success to find the time to look for an engagement ring for the past two days and had come up empty. Morgana had come over late Wednesday afternoon and between Gosalyn's excitement and having to fend off almost constant offers of 'help' from Herb and Binkie Muddlefoot, Drake had come close to pulling out his feathers from sheer stress.**

**Launchpad hid another smile as he recalled the truly impressive way Morgana had handled Drake yesterday. She had even managed to calm Binkie's enthusiasm enough to allow Drake almost four uninterrupted hours of sleep before Honker and Gosalyn had accidentally awakened them both.**

**They had fallen asleep on the couch, and LP had convinced Gos to play outside all morning. Life being what it was Drake was destined to be awakened fairly stressfully; most of the time anyway. Gosalyn had hit a fowl ball and smashed the bird house in the hedge under the bay window in the front of the house. **

**In honesty, Gosalyn had been far more concerned about the possibility of having harmed the songbirds that had nested in the bird box than having awakened her Dad and Morgana. Fortunately though, the birdhouse had been empty for the past week or so; since the robins that had raised a brood in it this spring were between batches of eggs. **

**Even though that had meant there were no feathered casualties, the sound of the ball smacking the siding under the window; and the accompanying sounds of splintered wood and horrified cries from Gosalyn had been sufficient to jerk Drake from dreamland. He had been understandably upset at first, especially when he realized one, that he'd fallen asleep with his head in Morgana's lap and two; that he'd awakened Morgana by leaping to his feet and dashing for the front door just as a reflex when he'd heard Gosalyn's voice outside the window.**

**Instead of being angry though, she'd risen gracefully to her feet and after finding out that no one was hurt, she'd firmly silenced Drake with a gentle caress and the offer to go back inside to talk about what they were going to do at the campground. Morgana was definitely more of an urban dweller than a wilderness survivor and so she kept plying Drake with questions about the how-tos and whys of Normal camping. **

**At first, Drake had been more than delighted at her distracting presence, but after she had gone home reluctantly after midnight Thursday night; Drake had panicked over his lack of progress in even finding a ring; much less finding a payment plan he could afford. Every conversation he'd had on the subject kept going back to the mysterious ring he claimed to have seen in Zimmerman's Tuesday. **

**It was Friday afternoon, and with everyone scheduled to leave for the campground after the fireworks display downtown at nine, it wasn't likely that Drake would have another chance to try and get a ring before they left. He had been oscillating between panic and terror ever since he'd awakened this morning, but he had admitted that Morgana wasn't likely to be upset since the two of them had spent most of Wednesday and Thursday together and had even decided to have a picnic style dinner this evening so everyone could see the downtown festivities together.**

**Drake alternated between relief and disappointment as he debated with himself, whenever he brought up the subject with Launchpad though; having finally faced his feelings, he hated to delay since it meant he'd have to wait until after the camping trip to try and ask Morgana to marry him and that made him panic all over again.**

**Launchpad sighed as he went to calm Drake again and finish loading the camping equipment and the supplies to help the Jr. Woodchuck's earn their merit badges. They had also clandestinely loaded some food and medical supplies and Drake's new cookbook, but the hardest part had been outmaneuvering Binkie Muddlefoot. **

**Neither Drake nor Launchpad wanted to hurt her feelings, but Drake had his own ideas about camping and camp cooking. Drake had wanted to be sure and take the ingredients he needed, and doing so without involving Binkie had proven to be far more of a challenge than either duck had anticipated; but at least now almost everything was packed and loaded. Drake's parental paranoia also refused to even consider going to the National Park without packing his semi portable med kit. Launchpad HAD been a little surprised at Drake's setting a guitar case in the We-Haul but he loaded it without commenting about it to Drake since his best buddy was already on edge about the trip.**

**Herb had rented a true Monster truck of an RV and Binkie had spent the last two days loading a regiments worth of supplies. Launchpad glanced over at the Muddlefoot's yard and saw Tank Muddlefoot hiding behind the huge vehicle. For once he didn't seem to be lurking in wait to ambush Honker, he actually seemed to be hiding from his mom.**

**Binkie had just come back out of the house with their kitchen phone receiver and after searching around the yard she finished her conversation and sat her current load of laundry inside the RV in the wash basket with the phone on top, before going inside and calling for Honker and Tank to hurry and bring their suitcases downstairs. **

**Usually Tank was as solid as his father in more than just his build. Launchpad often ran interference for Honker when he was outside and Tank decided to 'help' his brother with something. Both LP and Drake had debated trying to expose Tank's less than careful behavior around his brother; but Tank usually took his mother's projects in stride, so seeing him clearly hiding from his mother as she bustled back and forth between the RV and the front door was a bit unusual.**

**After his mother disappeared back into the house, LP watched in bemused silence as Tank tip toed cautiously toward the front door and then yipped as his brother pushed the door open just as he was pulling on it to sneak inside. He started to yell at Honker who was struggling to pull his suitcase out the door when he heard their mom. **

**She came to the door and gushed, "There you are Tank, be a dear and get your clothes packed while I have your father put these suitcases in the RV. Herb dear, your brother Frank will be back in the country next week and he want's to come for a visit."**

**Tank and Honker both looked upset and paled, even from as far away as the next yard over Launchpad could see their reaction; which in honesty surprised him since it was very intense and VERY quickly hidden by both ducklings. **

**Binkie had turned to yell into the house and so missed seeing her sons initial response, Tank didn't dare disobey; or pick on Honker with their mother right there, so he contented himself with a sneer and shoved past Honker to get his own clothes.**

**Launchpad hid his surprise and discomfort with a grin as Binkie looked around and asked Honker, "Honker dear, did you see what I did with the phone? I was just talking to your Uncle Frank and…." **

**Launchpad did notice that poor Honker seemed a bit more of a klutz than usual since he promptly spilled his suitcase all over the driveway, but Binkie swiftly cleared up the mess and Honker escaped back inside before LP could offer to help them or try and find out why Honker was so upset. It was really unusual for both of the Muddlefoot's sons to react so similarly over just a phone conversation. **

**Launchpad finished loading the station wagon and concerned, he checked the suspension and tire pressure. The vehicle had been used when they bought it, and Drake had been far more concerned with looking as civilian as possible, and having a 'family' style vehicle to get Gosalyn from the orphanage in; than he had been with the vehicle's maintenance record or mileage and the car was starting to protest loads like this one.**

**Launchpad actually thoroughly enjoyed the soothing routine of maintaining an older engine like this one, more modern cars required specialized equipment and were far less hands on than he preferred. In spite of his feelings though, he knew that sooner or later they were going to have to retire this car and go to a newer; or at least less used one. **

**This trip would likely be no problem, but sooner or later, the issue would come up. Launchpad took one of his little note pads from his flight jacket and made a note to bring up the subject again with DW after the trip to the National Park. He grimaced to himself as he considered Drake's reaction to any more complications and sighed, for some reason he had yet to figure out; nothing seemed to be simple for Drake. That was fine though, knowing how much he helped Drake and Gosalyn was part of the reason Launchpad had become so content with his life here in St. Canard.**

**---**

**Morgana paced restlessly looking over her portable potion bag and her carry all. She had debated for at least an hour over what to wear tonight since Drake had explained about the huge city wide celebration and the fireworks display. Gosalyn of course, had been beside herself with sheer excitement as she had enthused to Eek, Squeek and Archie over the planned festivities and eagerly explained to all three familiars about the festival type atmosphere and the large array of treats and activities they were going to see. **

**Morgana had to suppress a large smile as she silently acknowledged that if that little duckling had her way, they would all likely have belly aches as well, which was one reason for some of the potions in the carry all as well as some of the special recipes she had packed for the picnic. **

**There would be speeches and parades as well as special vender stands set up in the public parks selling treats and souvenirs. The whole thing officially started at about five and would culminate in the fireworks at nine. Morgana had already agreed to meet Drake, Gosalyn, Launchpad and the Muddlefoots for an early picnic style dinner at the park near her house and now that she had finished packing the food it was time to dress to impress her love.**

**---**

**Dirk had decided that the citywide Fourth of July celebration would be the perfect time to blend into the crowd and scout around to see if any of his underground contacts had seen or heard about that sweet bit Muscovy. Unless he was entirely mistaken; Gosalyn was sure to drag her dear old dad as close to the explosives as she could, which should keep him busy; so the purple clad do-gooder Darkwing Duck would be out of commission for the night.**

**Unless something had drastically changed in the last couple of days, Drake was also likely to be attached to Morgana, probably so close as to be nauseating. If she was around, Dirk intended to maintain a very low profile, he grinned as he patted the gift basket he had loaded with the candy from his factory. His little surprise package ought to befuddle those two enough that he should have no trouble tonight at least. **

**Whistling cheerfully he made a call to a tiny florist shop called Tussie-Mussie's. The little old lady duck that answered was all to happy to fill his order since he made sure it was all stuff that was easily available and that the arrangements he wanted would be a tidy sale.**

**Now ordinarily Dirk wouldn't have bothered with PAYING at all, he WAS Negaduck after all, but this little stunt wouldn't have the desired effect if he raised any suspicions about who was sending the stuff. A few minutes after five he left to pick up his order and after scouting to make sure that both the Mallards and their nosey neighbors the Muddlefoots were gone; he dropped both the flowers and candies off at Drake's house…. **

**IF by some remote chance his double came home and decided to go on patrol, in spite of the fact that the whole city limits were crawling with the minions of the law, well…here would be a nice little mystery to keep him and his lady friend occupied and out of his feathers. And after Drake wasted time and energy analyzing the candy and found out it was all perfectly normal, if out of season; Gosalyn would be so hyped up on the sugar rush from eating the sugary sweets, she'd most likely keep Drake and his sidekick busy tomorrow too.**

**Secure in the knowledge that he had most likely thrown Drake a minor curve ball, Dirk swiftly changed into his Negaduck costume and stuffed his civvies in a small bag under his motor cycle seat. It would be a minor disaster for anyone to catch him in this hokey outfit, especially any of his criminal contacts. The Spell chain around his neck pulsed slightly but he didn't notice other than to put on the helmet and carefully obey the traffic laws in order to make it to The Tale of the Golden Idol bar by six thirty. He had an appointment there with one of the weasel cousins who claimed to have bought some of the stolen jewels he had 'given' to Muscovy. **

**If the weasel was on the up and up, then this was just the sort of lead Dirk been waiting for; and if he wasn't well…Dirk grinned nastily, he had been wanting an excuse to unleash Negaduck for quite a few days now and this was as good an excuse as any; especially since the retired F.O.W.L. agent who ran the place was known to frown on fences that ratted out their customers. All it would take was a whispered word or two and anything unfortunate that happened would be kept as quiet as the grave.**

**---**

**Anna Tidae, the former S.H.U.S.H. agent turned minor criminal surveyed her tiny apartment with distaste. Housekeeping chores had never been appealing and after having thoroughly cleaned and organized the place, she found that her energy was STILL much to high to stay comfortably in hiding; even though every minion of law and order St. Canard could boast seemed to be making themselves obvious and were going to do so all weekend. **

**Ever since that whole mess in May, the Mayor and his political cronies had been trying to get positive publicity in order to improve the city's reputation and theirs. Mayor Minya had been the butt of late night comedians for several days, and there were still internet bits popping up that made her grin and most likely gave that pompous politician an ulcer attack even though it had been almost two months since the military had returned control of the city to local government and law enforcement. **

**S.H.U.S.H. had definitely had a hand in winding up that whole thing, and having everyone on the state and government level so engrossed in whatever else had been covered up when the Fearsome Five had escaped had certainly been convenient for her, so Anna had no reason to complain. **

**Once a new scandal had overtaken the pop culture circuit, it seemed that St. Canard's reputation problems were dying down, but even so Mayor Minya was determined that the Fourth of July celebration would go off without a hitch; and that his hand picked cadre of reporters would make sure to tell every news feed in the country and on the internet all about it. **

**She sighed as she looked out her window and then giving in to the inevitable she slipped a moderately conservative casual outfit over her Muscovy costume and went outside. The streets were packed with people, and she was a relative unknown even now, and for once that was going to come in handy, with all the cops around there was almost no one around when she went to her usual bar; it went by the unimposing name of Mike's.**

**She had picked this one from the list of watched places she had stolen from the S.H.U.S.H. data base because unlike The Old Haunt or The Pelican's Rest or even The Tale of the Golden Idol bars, this one; while seedy and definitely the scene of shady deals, had none of the city's A-list criminals as regulars.**

**This meant it was not a priority among the places detectives, P.I.'s or informers went to gather the tidbits they fed to local, state or federal flunkeys. This was exactly how Anna liked it; later on when she needed to attract the attention of the kind of A-list employers that would pay someone with her qualifications the kind of money she wanted, then she would stake out a place in another venue. **

**For now though, she could sit back in a quiet booth and sharpen her observational skills eavesdropping on the usual few weasels that habitually cheated each other at pool at the rear of the bar here. Once they had a few too many beers, they usually fought and helping the bartender kick the drunken weasels out was not only a good way to start a positive rumor about her physical skills, but it meant that the bartender; who's name wasn't Mike as far as she knew, allowed her to nurse a couple of drinks for as long as she wanted instead of chasing her out.**

**---**

**Negaduck nursed his drink and gave the weasel his hard-case look, hoping to shake the fellow's story and get something a bit more definite from him. The small stone's the weasel had brought along as 'proof' did look the same as the ones he'd tucked into the mysterious lady duck's costume that afternoon a few days ago. But a few minor rocks were hardly proof enough for him to go haring off on some wild duck chase. Especially not if it started any sort of rumors he didn't want; and from the fishing this fellow was doing, that seemed likely. **

**Negaduck abruptly tossed back his drink tossed a twenty on the bar to cover his bill and stood in a fluid graceful motion that sent most of the sparse crowd of regulars moving for cover. The weasel gulped and stepped back but it was much too late for second thoughts…. Tying the terrified weasel securely and slinging him onto the troublemaker without a word, Negaduck roared away to find out just how useful the informant was. **

**---**

**A little after eight o'clock, Anna moved back into the shadows of the bar as she recognized the thoroughly frightened figure of the weasel she had used as a fence stagger into Mike's. He ignored the rest of the bar and rushed to the pool table and began babbling to the half dozen weasels there. She stiffened as she realized he was talking about the yellow clad duck she'd encountered and even worse; he was referring to the deal she had made a few days ago! **

**Furious, she almost got up and gave herself away; but then her intellect and training took over. From all she had gathered, Negaduck tended to work alone unless he had a scheme or plan going that used his gang, the Fearsome Five, if he really WAS looking for her, then it would be only polite to let him find her, on her terms of course. Slipping into the tiny ladies room she opened the 'locked' window high in the outside wall and slipped out the back. Going by rooftop she moved swiftly towards the old theater that the weasel had spoken of to his buddies. Supposedly, it was where Negaduck's current scheme was headquartered and the weasel had been instructed to go there with any information he dug up. **

**Well, Anna was going to do them one better and slip inside herself to give that mallard some first hand information. She forced herself to focus and ignore the shivers that ran down her spine at the thought of interacting with Negaduck again. Then carefully she used a small older model scanner she had cached with some other S.H.U.S.H. surplus equipment a few months earlier to survey the theater and it's surroundings. **

**According to the scanner, there were several people in the building and as she glanced at the stage entrance she saw a line of pretty young females dressed in various looks waiting to go in. Curious, she aimed one of her mini microphones at the line and soon realized that they were all here in response to a casting call and some sort of try outs were being held inside the theater. Anna had never been shy, and seeing all those Avian style ladies gave her an idea, getting in was going to be even easier than she'd hoped.**

**Tuskernini wasn't happy, he and his penguin henchmen had been drafted to handle this casting call by Negaduck and while it was true that he and his crew WERE experienced in the movie making industry, and he DID have a certain flair for drama; this wasn't his usual sort of caper at all.**

**The penguins were being quite efficient in moving groups of extras into the theater and having them audition, but this was still going to take all weekend and that put a serious time crunch on the production schedule; Negaduck was NOT going to be happy if this bit of play acting didn't go according to the script. **

**Ignoring his nerves, Tuskernini moved to the third row and used his megaphone to signal the penguins to single out several particularly lovely girls before giving the rest of the group their colored slips. He was actually casting three different groups and the really attractive girls were for a separate part in this drama. **

**---**

**Gosalyn could barely contain herself, in spite of having been put on by the city's committee chaired by the mayor; the parade had been really neat, and even though it's staring attraction had been Gizmoduck, her dad had been almost calm and hadn't even threatened to slip into his own hero outfit and show Gizmoduck what a real hero looked like.**

**That all by itself had been cause for celebration for Launchpad and Gosalyn since they had in fact been bracing themselves for the ego crisis of the year once Drake realized he'd been overlooked entirely; instead he'd been totally distracted by Morgana and her picnic basket of goodies. She had been a huge hit with most of the children in the park with her flying cookies and Drake had concentrated on making sure her more unusual recipes had been attributed to catering from her restaurant The Shadow Chateau. **

**That had pleased Morgana since she'd given out business cars and gotten a lot of new customer interest for her restaurant and the whole weird issue had been glossed over much to Drake's relief. In fact the only other thing that had been strange was how jumpy and distracted Honker had been all afternoon, he hadn't really been himself at all and this worried Gosalyn since she WAS observant enough to have figured out that something was really wrong with her best friend. Honker had so far stayed stubbornly clammed up about it whatever IT was, and so far at least; Gos was batting a big fat zero as far as figuring out what was wrong much less what she could do to fix it.**

**Exasperated, Gosalyn exploded, "Geez Honker, pay attention! I don't understand it Honk, you're as jumpy as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, and Tank is hanging out over by your Dad, so it's not like he's messing with you. What's wrong?"**

**Honker looked uncharacteristically upset at Gosalyn's outburst, but he stubbornly firmed his chin and replied, "Sorry Gos, I AM paying attention now really."**

**She snorted a little dramatically but didn't say anything else since it was now close to nine and the fireworks were starting.**

**---**

**Drake was carrying Morgana's large carpetbag and trying not to trip as they wandered the park looking for a good spot to sit and wait for the fireworks. She was carrying her small potion bag and talking with Binkie while Eek fluttered between his mistress and Drake. Squeek was securely in his sling and eagerly waiting his chance to interact with Gosalyn, LP and Drake, while Archie grumbled to himself from Morgana's neckline. **

**She was wearing a deep red blouse that was similar in cut to her usual dresses, but as a concession to the fact that they would be sitting on the ground, and as a way to test out different outfits for the whole camping experience; Morgana had traded her usual mermaid style ankle length skirt for a mid calf length pair of wide pants that appeared to be a skirt unless you saw the seams and a pair of low healed black ankle boots. **

**Drake was smiling at Morgana instead of watching for the fireworks so the first explosion startled him. He had been seated on a dark green cloth that Morgana had taken out of her carryall. It was the same bag she had taken several galvanized buckets full of sandwiches out of as well as her cookies and pies, a fact which had made Drake nervous as the Muddlefoots were right there at the time; but other than eagerly helping himself to sandwiches and a large slice of pie each; Herb and Tank hadn't appeared to notice and Binkie had just commented on how handy it was to be able to fit everything in her bag.**

**This was very suspicious to Drake, he thought that even the Muddlefoots would have to notice that something was different when this one bag produced so much stuff, but he wasn't going to complain. Launchpad had stuffed himself impartially with goodies from all three households and was lying back looking at the sky when the first firework went off, he DID hear Gos berating Honker and he started to sit up to find out what exactly was going on when Drake fell beak first into Morgana's lap. Gos and Honker were seated just to the side and both of them were immediately engrossed in the show while Mrs. Muddlefoot giggled with Herb over Drake's mishap. He grinned too and quickly pretended not to have seen anything as Morgana took the opportunity to kiss her duck while Squeek crawled firmly onto Drake and purred.**

**---**

**In spite of how well the entire afternoon had gone, Drake admitted to himself that he was in a fairly bad mood. There had been a large floral arrangement and basket of Halloween style candy sitting on his porch when they had come home, at first, Morgana had thought that it had been a surprise from HER duck but Drake had known differently.**

**Morgana's magic had told her that the candy was perfectly normal and that the flowers were meant to be lovely and that there were no overtones of malice in the gift, so the children had eagerly eaten some of the candy's while Morgana had given some of the blossoms to Binkie before planting the rest under the bay window. **

**Thanks to her potions and a little surreptitious help from Eek, the flowers had spouted sturdy roots and settled happily into the bed of rich soil, Binkie had been surprised at this but she had smiled at Gosalyn and agreed readily enough to the energized duckling's riding with them in order to let Drake and Morgana have the back seat of the car to themselves. Drake had turned beet red, but accepted the arrangements after LP proposed being the driver.**

**Drake hated having to follow the Muddlefoots RV, but that was how things had panned out. Gosalyn had begged shamelessly and received permission to ride with Honker and his family and that meant that Drake wasn't letting the huge white whale of a vehicle out of his sight; not even for a second. Not until Morgana touched his beak and turned his head gently to face her anyway. **

**Fortunately, Launchpad was driving and the two other ducks were riding in the back seat which meant that the driver was still watching the road in spite of the rampant hormones raging in the car.**

**Squeek cuddled against Drake's collar, he had firmly wound his claws into Drake's sweater vest and been snuggling there since the fireworks display. Drake felt his irritation fade as he smiled into Morgana's eyes, leaving tonight meant they would get to the campground late but they would be set up and ready for the Duckburg contingent and the other seven children from St. Canard when their parents dropped them off.**

**Saturday night was the best night to watch Honker's astrological phenomena but all the ducklings would be able to earn their badges all weekend. Drake swallowed nervously and resolutely he forced himself to relax and NOT think about his lack of progress in getting a ring, or how nervous he was.**

**---**

**Negaduck leaned back in his chair in the theater office and idly twirled the little knife he'd lifted from Muscovy in his palm before throwing it point first into an eight by tem glossy of Gizmoduck that hung on the back of the door. He was dressed in his villainous costume and thinking of his plan to mess with his brother when he felt a strong grip press on his throat from behind his chair. **

**He stiffened but didn't dare move, just then there was a knock on the door to the office and Tuskernini's distinctive voice called, " Mr. Producer, Negaduck…we have finished the auditions for today, do you want to change the production schedule for tomorrow?"**

**A sultry voice hissed softly in Negaduck's ear, "Tell that Walrus to go home for the night, we have our own business to discuss."**

**Her strong hands swiftly tied his wrists to the arms of the chair as she added, "And unless you want him to see you all tied up, I'd keep quiet about me…don't you agree handsome?"**

**Clearing his throat Negaduck yelled, "Just finish the auditions before Monday so they have time to learn their parts Tuskernini. I'll see you tomorrow."**

**Muscovy Duck, dressed in her distinctive costume, this time with the addition of a high necked collar on the bodice pulled the chair back from the desk and settled herself comfortably on Negaduck's lap.**

**She offered him a wicked smile as she took off his hat and kissed him, " Maybe you will, and maybe you won't…I think I make a much better sight to look at than that Tuskernini, don't you?"**

**Struggling with his hormones Dirk swallowed and attempted to loosen his bonds, but his struggles only made Muscovy chuckle provocatively as they heard the walrus and his crew leave the theater. "You DID say my sexy tail would get me an audition, well handsome as much as I DO like you. I don't intend to be a chorus girl in whatever scheme your planning."**

**She carefully searched his jacket and turtleneck and removed as many of his weapons as she could before toggling the release on his cape and wrapping everything into a compact bundle. Setting the bundle under the desk she kissed him again and offered, "I know for a fact you are a meticulous planner and thinker; I like that in a mallard. And I like being successful even more, what do you say to an occasional partnership?"**

**When Tuskernini came by the next morning, he found the masked mallard of menace limping slightly as he drank a large mug of coffee and wandered around his office which looked as though a cyclone moving through it would improve the mess. His jacket was on the desk as well as his hat, he snapped out of his daze and slammed the door shut and snarled, "I've got things to do today, finish finding me the actors I need and I'll wire the second part of your payment on Monday. If my little con goes well I'll even throw in a bonus, but ONLY if you get the job done!"**

**Tuskernini jumped back as the door shut but he heard the duck continue to himself, "Megavolt has been far too quiet, and I can't just send one of the others, I'll have to track down that electrical rodent disaster myself, but…it can wait until the end of the week. Even HE can't get into too much trouble without SOMEONE hearing about it, and nothing has come up on any news feeds that even sound like him." **

**---**

_Here is the next installment in my newest drama. I hope everyone likes this and reviews . _


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Disney owns Darkwing and everyone else from their cartoons and I am playing with them for NO money or tangible gains of any kind. I am practicing writing and have made up several original characters that DO belong to me. Please read and review if possible thank you.**

**----**

**Drake Mallard sighed and struggled with the support pole of the large tent. This had to be the longest two days he'd ever spent in the woods. Every time he tried to get a little alone time with Morgana outside the tent, SOMETHING interrupted, of course the fact that there were eighteen children and seven adults all in this group meant that there would be someone around pretty much all the time; but Geez!**

**Between the Muddlefoots and the two troop leaders from Duckburg, one of whom was Fenton Crackshell; the other Gyro Gearloose, not to mention Launchpad, there should have been enough adults around to give him a few minutes to be with his lady but fickle fate seemed to have other plans. **

**At least everyone seemed to be getting along and having a good time, although the campfire stories last night HAD been kind of dicey. The kids had all wanted 'scary' stories to spook each other with, and Morgana had been a little offended by the 'MONSTERS' that had populated the children's efforts. **

**At least Archie had been a great help there since he had been a HUGE hit with all of the children when he'd leaped randomly onto Launchpad, Drake and Fenton and caused all three of the adults to leap around and shriek like little school girls as he tickled them unmercifully dancing around inside their scout leader vests and popping up on LP's aviator's hat and generally forcing the fellows into making fools of themselves.**

**Morgana had tried to stay upset but she had been thoroughly sidetracked by these antics and had enlisted the help of Binkie Muddlefoot to finally restore order and everyone had stuffed themselves with smores and other campfire snacks before taking turns with the telescopes to learn about astronomy and the observations had lasted until bedtime. Morgana came inside the wobbling tent and her pensive expression eased as she watched her beloved trying to fix the tent pole again, it seemed that these 'tents' just weren't that well designed, not for the vigorous treatment they were getting from so many active and eager children anyway. **

**Morgana waited until she was fairly sure he was stable before moving closer. She put one hand on his shoulder and placing her other hand gently on the tent pole she sent a little of her energy into it. Eek had become fascinated with the energy flows in the woods and watched intently as the pole flexed slightly before succumbing to Morgana's wish for it to stay upright. **

**Drake twitched at her touch spun around and turned beet red when he realized that she had come inside and seen him struggling with the tent support. Her expression stopped him though and concerned he gestured to the sleeping bags that were rolled up beside them.**

**Hesitantly Drake started, "Morg baby is something wrong?" **

**Smiling at his instant reaction of concern she sat gracefully on the stack of rolled sleeping bags and patted the space beside her, "Not really Dark darling. I know those children don't mean any harm and by showing them at this age that Monster kind aren't always bad I can help them see that being different can be a good thing."**

**Drake sat carefully beside her and took her hand as she continued, "I was just a little hurt last night, after all the Boogie Man is a friend of my father's; he collects fear energy and transmutes it into mage power to help supply the Monster realm with more than just ambient energy. It is part of our resource conservation plan that was started in my great, great grandma's day to help channel negative behavior and it is just a shock to hear those sorts of distorted rumors from such nice children."**

**Drake wasn't really sure how to answer her at first but he swallowed and began carefully, "Heh, heh, well Morgana, I guess that it's just that he collects children's fear and so the children have to be afraid of him so…he makes the perfect person to raise a few goose bumps; especially out here in the woods where things make noises and the wind blows, after all, we Normals can't defend ourselves nearly so well when we can't see." **

**He caressed Squeek gently as he finished, "Part of my crime fighting persona is based on creating fear so I can appreciate how important that is, even if I never knew before yesterday that there is a real Boogie man, I'm not sure LP will be able to stand it though if Gosalyn doesn't stop jumping on him and laughing herself silly whenever we walk by." **

**He sighed and admitted, "I actually was hoping we could take a stroll today and maybe spend some time alone…."**

**Morgana smiled as she leaned gently towards him, Drake was doing so much better now accepting her Monster heritage; when he said things like that it just made her heart sing and his shy sensitive side just made her want to cuddle him close. Sternly controlling herself she was careful not to react too much even though his gentle caress was wonderful. **

**He still tended to freeze up if she was too forceful and she didn't want to discourage him so she said, "I'd love to go for a walk with you Drake. Maybe we could go into that lovely cave a little earlier than the children…just to make sure it's safe for them to explore, what do you think?"**

**She smiled and winked as Squeek purred and jumped onto Drake's scouting vest. He blushed and then said decisively, "That's a great idea Morg, lets go."**

**As they left the tent Drake slung his guitar over his shoulder and picked up a roll of string and a flashlight. After sticking some chalk in his pocket Drake offered "LP, can you keep an eye on the kids for a while without me? I am going to check out the caves with Morgana, it's a good idea to scout around before we trust any of the Jr. Woodchucks in there; don't you think so?"**

**Launchpad grinned knowingly but agreed, "Sure thing DW, Gos and Honker are with Huey, Dewy, Louie and Webbigail; they are collecting deadfall for firewood for tonight's campfire. Gyro and Fenton are busy with Tank and some of the others and I am just about to take these four fine young Woodchucks with me to help Mrs. Muddlefoot set up lunch."**

**All four boys flinched behind his back but put on brave faces as he turned around to face them and added sternly, "After all, SOMEONE ran through camp after morning inspection and knocked down most of the tents and I'd hate for anyone to think this is acceptable behavior."**

**Drake hid a smile as he sent a quiet thought of thanks that Gosalyn had been completely innocent of that particular incident. She and Honker had in fact been on dishwashing detail with the triplets and Webbigail. Even though she had complained bitterly about the unfairness of being forced to do housework when they weren't staying in a house; she had swiftly quieted in the face of the aftermath of the chaos that had engulfed the campground as the tents had collapsed.**

**It had taken only a short time to figure out which children were tearing the campground to pieces, the four boys claimed that they were trying to catch some sort of animal, but no one had seen any sign of anything out of the ordinary. In deference to the thought that they 'might' have seen something; the adults had agreed to assign camp chores to the boys as punishment and to set the campground back to rights without involving any of their parents. **

**Just as a precaution though all of the adults were teaching the children basic animal safety and testing their first aid skills in groups which were what Gyro and Fenton were doing. Since this tent was the last one needing attention though, it also made for an excellent opportunity for Drake to seize the moment and sneak away for a little quality time with Morgana while so many of the children were safely occupied. Even better from Drake's perspective was the fact that Gos was busy with her friends and so would be unable to offer any 'help' to her dear old Dad. **

**Grinning in a mischievous way he took Morgana by the hand and together they started towards the caves in the upper northern part of the campground. Little did they realize they were in fact being keenly observed by several interested parties. **

**Grimm was a mages familiar spirit and he had been around for a long time, but even he had to admit that the kittens he was escorting around the prime material plane were lot faster than he expected and the addition of their littermate who was shaped like a tiny fox was just as much trouble though for different reasons.**

**Once again he tried to get the kits to focus as he spoke to them, **_**'**__Now then girls, I expect you to at least TRY, and little fox, you are going to HAVE to keep up better or go back to Sekhmet. I don't want to risk losing any of you, she'd pull out my tail by the roots and make a rug out of my skin if anything bad were to happen to you.__**' **_

**Gently Grim sat the silvery fox kit next to the two pure black kittens and sighed as all three promptly began to wander in three separate directions again. He sighed fondly as he added, **_'And that doesn't even cover what I'd do to myself if anything untoward were to befall you.'_

**He licked the foxy male's ears gently and kept a careful eye on the others. Just then one of his daughters glanced back at him and her sweet whisper touched his mind faintly,'**_ We will be good sire, truly…but none of them has any real fire or zest. They have youth, but so do we.'_

**His other kit opened her mouth showing off needle sharp gleaming white teeth and added, **_'these Mage born and Monster kin children are all so BORING. Even the ones who are thinking up mischief are being predictable! Can't we go fishing for a water sprite or catch some of the fairies just for fun? They don't mind when we practice and we can't hurt them.'_

**The tiny fox suddenly asked,'**_ Wait, please…can't we see something new? Mother lets us hunt and practice scrying and when I was looking in the Oracle's reflecting pool I saw SO many things…can't you take us to explore one?'_

**Both kittens bounced with sheer excitement and chimed in as they wound their way around his paws, **_'Oh YES! Please can't we go see something NEW in person? We will stay right by you….'_

**In actuality this was just the sort of curiosity and exploratory attitude Grimm had been hoping for, and even though he made a great show of debating for a moment while all three kits wheedled and made increasingly outlandish promises for their good behavior and obedience he was secretly VERY pleased.**

**This was a good chance to show the kits some different people AND check up on Morgana and Drake. Focusing his will and tucking all three of the tiny spirit's carefully under his belly Grim opened a portal under them and they all plummeted straight down before leveling off within the astral plane. **

**All three kits shrieked with delight, this was one of their favorite things to do whenever one of their sire's agreed to take them on an outing; and Grimm was the MOST fun when he took them through the different planes; he always made sure to include lots of ups and downs and rounds to make the trip memorable. It was his tutelage that had enabled all seven of the litter to pass their travel tests. Even though they could travel now, still being unpartnered and under their mother's care meant that they seldom got to do so on their own so none of them even suspected that their father was engaged in a little surreptitious matchmaking on more than one level.**

**---**

**Gosalyn wandered the woods near the campground looking for deadwood to bring back for tonight's campfire, but this was prime camping season and the area near the camp was picked pretty clean. The group of six ducklings honestly hadn't intended to go so far as the caves, but a cache of fallen logs was a tempting sight.**

**What tempted Gosalyn even more was seeing her dad and Morgana headed into the caves. Struck by a sudden hunch since her Dad had his guitar slung over one shoulder, Gos was certain that any punishment she got would be worth making sure her dad got this proposing thing right. Another week or so of his nerves was bound to drive her straight to Mrs. Muddlefoot's manners lessons just for the mind numbing qualities they induced.**

**Shuddering at the thought of yet another session filled with musty old rules that didn't actually mean anything Gosalyn made sure to lead the group directly toward the cave. Since all the ducklings had seen the fallen trees too no one objected until guitar music wafted over to them from the cave entrance.**

**Honker was immediately suspicious and stuttered, "maybe we should go back to the campground Gosalyn…your dad has NO sense of humor when he gets mad."**

**Huey, Dewy, Louie and Webbigail all gathered around and chorused," What does Mr. Mallard have to do with anything Honker? What is that Music? I think we are going to get into trouble. Naw, where's your sense of adventure fellows? We should go back…."**

**Gosalyn promptly gave her bundles of sticks to Webbigail and said, "I am just going to take a quick peek, you guys take these sticks back for the campfire and I'll be right along I promise. I just want to check up on Dad."**

**Honker sighed as he straightened his glasses and handed his bundle of sticks to Dewy and Louie. He said resolutely, "She doesn't have anything to mark her trail with and sound carries funny in caves, I have some string and a flashlight and chalk in my backpack I'll make sure she doesn't get lost and we'll be right back. As soon as she's done anyway, it's impossible to stop Gosalyn once she makes up her mind."**

**Huey and the others started to follow Honker but he swiftly pointed out that all six of them were certain to make noise and get caught and that Webbigail was sure to raise a fuss if they tried to go without her, and besides there was no reason for all six of them to have to do chores. This last reason decided the triplets who agreed reluctantly to wait back at camp for the story, and their friend's deserts since they were likely to be sent to bed without any desert when or if they were caught. **

**Just as Honker disappeared into the cave mouth after Gosalyn, Grimm teleported himself and the threesome of kits outside the entrance of the caves; after making sure that their camouflaging spells were holding and that they remembered to stay intangible he offered mysteriously, "come along now and we'll have a look inside this cave. Now I know you have seen images of caves, but all of them are unique and have their own odors and textures. Besides there are some soul kin nearby and I want to say hello…."**

**All three of the kits were already sniffing and looking about with interest as their other senses picked up Archie, Eek, Squeek, and the ducks. They knew immediately that these were the ones their mother and the oracles had been discussing before. The scent of pain and injury was multilayered and complex and something about the group they were sensing called out to them in a way none of the kits had anticipated. They had never expected to be pulled towards this group but the sheer energy and complexity of the dynamics within them were fascinating, even more so since only one of them was Mage born. **

**Delighted at this uncharacteristic show of interest by his daughters and careful to keep an eye on the foxy boy Grimm led them towards the group in question, since they were intangible they moved swiftly through the rocks and soon came upon Honker Muddlefoot who was carefully marking his back trail and calling quietly out to Gosalyn. **

**She in turn rushed back towards Honker and hissed, "Honker…shhhh…sound carries and Dad is sure to hear us if you keep being so noisy,"**

**Honker was very pleased that his plan to get Gosalyn to join him had worked so he whispered in a placating manner, "Sorry Gosalyn, but I need to mark our back trail so we can get back out before Mr. Mallard sees us."**

**Gosalyn had already abandoned the slightly smaller duckling again and was peering around a stalagmite into the next room. She held her breath as she saw that Morgana Macabre was seated on a small flat rock bathed in the late afternoon sunlight from a hole in the roof of the room. **

**The natural stone in the cave sent faint sparkles into the atmosphere as the light reflected off of crystal formations around the room but those paled in comparison to the excitement in the lady's lovely deep green eyes. She was looking demurely down at Drake as Eek and Archie perched in her hair and Squeek purred on her lap. Seated on the floor leaning next to her legs was Drake Mallard, he was strumming his guitar and humming quietly as he gazed up at Morgana.**

**He continued to strum and then began to sing to her, "You are my light in the darkness, my angel and my desire. You are my every hope, and set my soul on fire."**

**He blushed since he didn't think his lyrics were all that good and launched into a complex musical bridge to cover his embarrassment.**

**For her part, Morgana was very impressed with her Drake's musical talent, she had never heard him play an instrument before but she could tell he was skilled. She felt her cheeks flush as he called her an angel and spoke of his needing and desiring her. **

**She could feel his sincerity as the ring around her neck pulsed gently but since she was seated in the shaft of sunlight, it didn't show to Drake. **

**She trembled as she stroked Squeek and he sent soothingly, **_'Morgana, don't be afraid of your feelings….'_

**Archie hummed****and very carefully moved down her back to the flat rock Morgana was seated on and crawled up Drake's sleeve. Knowing how ticklish Drake was, Archie was careful to stay on his shirt so he wouldn't mess up the musical tribute, but very cautiously he readied himself for a minor bit of transportation magic as he looked Drake's vest over.**

**It wasn't his usual outfit since he was acting as Launchpad's assistant troop leader, instead of his green sweater, his outer garment was a badge-vest for the Jr. Woodchucks but fortunately it DID have pockets. Eek distracted Morgana by sending a surge of energy through her that coincided with Drake's leaning against her legs so that the energy coursed gently through both ducks.**

**Archie seized the opportunity and carefully moved the tiny ring box Grimm had tucked into the car from its hiding place in Drake's backpack to a pocket of the vest. For his part, Drake was alternating between dazed and nervous as he gazed at Morgana. **

**He'd decided that showing her something new about himself would 'hopefully' show her that he wanted to be closer even though he didn't have a ring yet and he had decided to admit just how much she meant to him which was why he'd serenaded her in the cave…but now that the moment was here, he was so nervous he almost couldn't talk.**

**Eek added as he readied a small spell of his own, **_'Beloved…if you want to tell Drake about your feelings now would be a good time. And if you show him the way, it might give him the courage he needs to open his heart to you.'_

**Squeek purred and snuggled under her hands as he felt her nervousness skyrocket, **_'Morgana, dearest; please don't cripple yourself by denying your needs any longer.' _

**Eek had by this time summoned the ring Grim and Mintaka had made for Drake and made sure to put it in Morgana's lap under Squeek who waited eagerly for the right moment to provide it to Morgana. Drake had finished playing and realized that he was feeling some strange tingles and that some of his nerves were actually not his. This surprised him so much he sat the guitar down and took one of Morgana's hands in his. **

**Gosalyn meanwhile was fairly dancing in place with impatience as she peeked out at her dad and Morgana. Grimm watched calmly as his daughters crept cautiously over to sniff at the anxiously trembling red haired duckling.**

**Fortunately, the both remembered to remain insubstantial as they sneezed and curled around each other while they took in her energy signature. Honker meanwhile was waiting worriedly back near the tunnel leading toward the entrance to the caves. **

**Grimm's ears twitched in surprise as he saw the tiny male fox crouched beside the boy. Honker's backpack was partially open and the spirit kin was nosing around inside the largest compartment. Honker's reference books and papers were shifting inside the container as the little one gazed intently up from his explorations to stare at Honker's face.**

**For his part, Honker noticed his possessions were shifting, but he put that down to the fact that he had leaned his backpack against the wall since he had no clue that the familiars were in the cave as well. In order to be ready to beat a hasty retreat he readied himself and slung his backpack over his shoulders. **

**Cautiously he moved over to Gosalyn and tugged on her shirt, but she was holding her breath and staring attentively into the other cavern and Honker's actions startled her. Even then, her athletic ability and recent training stood her in good stead and she kept both her balance and her silence. **

**Destiny however had other plans; this meant that Grimm wasn't fast enough to help any of the children when the threesome of unpartnered familiars lost their concentration. Temporarily losing control over their camouflage spells all three became substantial enough to interfere with Gosalyn's feet.**

**They DID stay mostly invisible to a Normals sight, but the black kittens were distracted by the delicious goulash of emotions and POWER being stirred up in the other room. The females were energetic and inescapable as they involved the male in their contortions. He cried out in shock as Honker stumbled into Gosalyn causing them both to fall into the cavern.**

**---**

**Huey, Dewy, Louie and Webbigail were rearranging the rocks lining the fire pit when they saw Gosalyn and Honker coming back towards the camp ground being followed by Mr. Mallard and Morgana. Being experienced pranksters, the triplets could tell that Gosalyn and Honker had gotten themselves caught; but for some reason none of the approaching ducks seemed to care. As they got closer Honker waved and Gosalyn actually hugged Webbigail which surprised all of the ducklings since Gos wasn't really the huggy type.**

**Launchpad sighed, it looked as though DW's usual luck had kicked in and he'd been interrupted again. A slight frown came onto his face as he saw that it looked as though Gosalyn and Honker were responsible! That DID surprise him since he thought Gos was all for her father asking Morgana to become engaged. He felt a little disappointment in the duckling as it occurred to him that maybe she was a little less enthused than she let her dad see; but the she rushed up to him and beamed brighter than the sun. **

**Squeezing him in a crushing hug she said happily, "Hi Launchpad!"**

**Launchpad staggered a little under the unexpected onslaught and looked over her head at Honker who was grinning shyly and talking with the triplets and little Webby clearly telling them about what had gone on. He glanced over to Drake and saw that the anxious pinched look that he'd been sporting lately had been replaced with a dazed goofy grin. Drake was wearing one of Morgana's bats…LP saw it was Squeek since Eek; the other bat fluttered up from Morgana's hair to settle lightly onto Honker before settling into Gosalyn's hair landing securely between her pig tails and purring happily. **

**Mrs. Muddlefoot's radar must have gone off just then since she came rushing over to the group from her station by the picnic table. She was setting up a buffet style lunch so all the campers could serve themselves. Binkie went directly to Morgana and twittered giggling, "Morgana dear, did you and Drake have a good time at the cave?"**

**In answer Morgana offered Binkie her left hand which now sported a distinctive ring shaped like an angel and holding a respectably sized diamond. Binkie's excited squeal in response drove wildlife away from the campground in a mad rush that cleared the underbrush for half a mile in every direction and also penetrated Herb's snack and TV induced stupor. **

**He of course had set up a semi mobile duplicate of his living room so he could watch baseball and the stock car races. Being the number one Quackerware salesman in the country, Herb had taken a couple of vacation days so he could stay for the whole camp out, but that didn't mean he wanted to miss the Fourth of July race or the St. Canard Cardinals since they were playing the Blue Jays in a seven game series that would finish on Thursday night. Hearing his wife's shriek though, Herb stirred and came over to the group as Launchpad shook Drake's hand. **

**Launchpad asked, "Why were you so worried? You said you didn't have a ring yet, so where did that one come from? It looks like the one you said you saw in Zimmerman's."**

**Herb promptly chimed in, "Congratulations there spud. Zimmerman's huh? That's a really nice place; I got my Binkums her pearls there just before you moved next door when I became the top salesman in the country for first time. Of course I've kept the top spot since then, this makes the third year in a row." **

**Herb pumped Drake's hand and slapped his shoulder offering, "You know Drake, you were really making progress in learning the Quackerware business. It's a good living and you can raise a family well in sales. Whenever you want to give it another go, you just say the word and I'll take you under my wing. We'll make a junior associate out of you in no time." **

**Drake forced himself to NOT grit his teeth and winced at the pain from his shoulder as he staggered under Herb's enthusiasm and managed, "Thanks Herb, I appreciate you're being willing to give me another chance, but until Morgana and I work out the wedding details, I'll need to stay close to home to look after Gos. Besides, my manuscript will sell soon."**

**Herb exchanged a look with Launchpad and said, "Sure thing Drakester. Launchpad, how's about we set up the grills and get some coconut burgers started to feed all these kids while my Binkums is distracted?" **

**Launchpad was staring at the ring he had noticed on Drake's hand. He answered absently, "Sure thing Herb, Fenton and Gyro should be back with the other groups in about an hour so we should have just enough time to get lunch underway. I'll be right there."**

**Herb grinned again and went to set up the grilling stations by the fire pit while Drake answered Launchpad quietly, "I know this sounds weird LP, but that IS the ring I saw. It was in one of the pockets of this vest. I know what you're thinking LP because I did too, but Morgana didn't bring it or this one."**

**He gestured self consciously to his own new ring and admitted, "She says Eek, Squeek and Archie arranged for them and that they were made for us." **

**He blushed slightly and added as Squeek rubbed against the underside of his bill and chirred quietly, "I'm going to pin them down about this later."**

**He regained his slightly bemused look as Morgana stepped away from Binkie to smile at Launchpad and caressed his wrist. Gosalyn smiled happily at her dad and shyly accepted a hug from Morgana as Binkie Muddlefoot hugged Drake. **

**Binkie gushed, "Drake dear I am SO happy for you and Morgana. You know I've often said how much little Gosalyn needs a Mother around, she needs a more feminine roll model; NOT that you aren't trying your best of course…but."**

**Binkie blushed having for once realized that she might have been a little pushy as Morgana frowned slightly. Morgana knew how hard Drake worked at being Gosalyn's Dad and as far as she was concerned, Gosalyn was just fine.**

**Fortunately though LP saw the look on Morgana's face and nudged Drake who was struggling to find something to say that wouldn't be mean to the usually oblivious housewife. **

**Hoping to divert Morgana until he could explain about the Muddlefoots and their blind spots, Drake cleared his throat and smiled at Mrs. Muddlefoot, "Thanks Binkie, we are happy too. Gosalyn and I are both really lucky Morgana is going to be taking care of us."**

**He grinned at Launchpad and added, "Morgana is really special LP. She's decided to take in the whole family, she says we need to eat healthier and until you find someone special to look after you; she knows we come as a set just like her familiars."**

**At this Launchpad had yipped as Archie jumped to his flight cap and Gosalyn had crowed with delight while Morgana relaxed visibly at this vote of confidence from her darling Drake. He didn't usually defend her so readily to other Normals, and ordinarily Morgana put Mrs. Muddlefoot's strange comments down to the fact that her upbringing was so very different from what the Normals were used to. But NO ONE was going to say anything negative about her Honey Wompus OR their little girl, not where she could hear anyway.**

**Smiling sweetly at Binkie, who looked a little confused Morgana said with more than a hint of irritation at the implied criticism of Gosalyn, "I think Drake has done a wonderful job with Gosalyn Mrs. Muddlefoot, and I am honored that Gosalyn is so willing to let me into their lives."**

**Stepping bravely into the social breach of etiquette, Launchpad asked, " I know this is kind of sudden since you have just become official, but do you have any ideas about a wedding date Morgana?" **

**Drake blushed and stuttered but before he could say anything Binkie put in, "My goodness Launchpad dear, wedding's take months of planning and organizing."**

**She turned earnestly and offered, "Morgana dear, I'd just LOVE to help you with the arrangements. It will be NO trouble really."**

**Drake hid a smile as he saw Morgana brace herself against the onslaught of chatter that inundated her from the suddenly exuberant housewife. Binkie meanwhile was in her element with all her confusion and uncertainty forgotten as she gushed to the startled Morgana.**

**Leading her towards the RV, Binkie continued. " We'll need to talk about the food, and the décor and then of course after the ceremony and the reception will be the honeymoon."**

**She giggled as Morgana blushed, " Now don't you worry about Gosalyn and Launchpad, I'm sure we can look after them for you while you and Drake have a little together time. Oh I can't wait to meet the rest of your family Morgana, your cousins are so very European and exotic." **

**----**

**Later as everyone was settling down for the night, Gosalyn was regaling Webbigail with the story of how she and Honker had been caught spying on her dad and Ms. Macabre. In spite of Gosalyn's enthusiasm as she explained the really weird things that had gone on; Webbigail was a little less than convinced about how much was true since her friend's version of events seemed more like something her Unca Scrooge would say happened in one of his long ago adventures than something that someone as ordinary as Mr. Mallard would have happen to him. **

**Still it would be impolite to SAY anything like that to Gosalyn, and Grammy would be very unhappy if she were rude to the duckling from St. Canard. Especially since Gosalyn had made a real effort to make sure she got to do things with the boys and had been very friendly so far.**

**Keeping this in mind Webbigail said sleepily, "Well Gosalyn, if you say that little animals tripped you and Honker and then disappeared, and if you say you heard one of them make noises…then that seems like it COULD have happened. But animals don't talk, not like we do, how could baby kitties SAY words anyway? Maybe you heard Meowing or purring? Ms. Macabre's little bats purr. I heard that one that was riding on you do it at lunch."**

**Webbigail gave a delicate shudder in spite of herself as she admitted, "I like Ms. Macabre and I know that she's going to be your Mommy soon, but I am sure glad her bats didn't try and ride on me. I am kind of creeped out by things with claws…and that HUGE spider…."**

**Gosalyn was much too excited to sleep but she recognized the futility in trying to explain any more so she said, " Archie is TOTALLY cool, he and Eek and Squeek are really important to Morgana and I LOVE when they ride on me. It's okay that you don't like regular spiders and bats, but we have to be careful of Morgana's friends, okay?" **

**Webby nodded as Gosalyn said something more about making sure Mrs. Muddlefoot didn't accidentally 'clean' them or try and convince Morgana to leave them in the woods and soon fell asleep.**

**---**

_Here is the next bit I hope everyone likes it and that I get a few reviews LOL_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: All the characters from Disney belong exclusively to them and are used without permission for no monetary gains of any kind. I am writing this because Darkwing Duck is my favorite cartoon of all time and I am practicing my creative writing skills. Please read and review if you can thank you._

**---**

**Dirk was tired of hanging around the theater while Tuskernini finalized the casting and set up rehearsals for Negaduck's plan, and he'd finally finished cleaning up his office; so it was about time that he scouted the research facility that he wanted to rob once he got Drake and Morgana out of the way. **

**In spite of his recently being distracted by his personal problems, and spending a great deal of his time spying on his brother's little group; Negaduck had long ago faced the hard realities of his life. He KNEW he couldn't afford to let his guard down or grow lax in listening to what was going on in the city and he'd been hearing some things lately that set his instincts off.**

**Negaduck shied away from the memory of how GOOD it had felt when he'd one upped Drake at the jewelry store and even managed to keep his twin from mucking about with that sweet bit Muscovy. His grin widened and turned possessive as his memory turned to how she'd shown up and 'auditioned' to become part of his life. **

**Dirk stretched a little more and hissed as he felt his bruises from her attentions. The look on his face was all male and full of satisfaction as he whistled with uncharacteristic good cheer before focusing on the next step in his plan. **

**The trickiest part was going to be keeping the do-gooders involvement to a minimum until he found what was really going on. Dirk sighed and shook his feathers to settle them, before finishing his preparations. **

**He didn't have a lot to stock his jacket and cape with since he was really low on supplies, but he grinned as he found the mirror Morgana had given him. While tucking it into the inner lining of his jacket, he felt a slight tingle all over and acting on impulse he flipped open the cover of the glass. He looked into its depths and saw that Drake was dressed in his hokey civilian shirt. Instead of his regular sweater vest though he had on an even uglier one. It was some kind of pocket and patch covered beige affair that hung open in front and as he watched it looked like Drake was struggling with some kind of tent pole. **

**Dirk grinned as he watched Drake struggling until he saw Morgana come into the tent. Once she placed her hand tenderly on Drake; Dirk shut the mirror and turned resolutely to finish what he was doing. Life was a lot more complicated now, but he felt a surge of warmth inside as he admitted to himself that he liked it this way.**

**Slipping his only clean Negaduck costume into a garment bag he grimaced as he surveyed his reflection in the mirror of the tiny private bathroom attached to his office. Dirk was once again dressed in the yellow button up collared shirt and baby blue sweater vest that he had worn here the day before yesterday, he was SO going to have to do laundry tomorrow. **

**The Troublemaker was hidden in a converted supply room next door, and with the increased patrols and security still in effect throughout the downtown area until Monday, it wasn't smart to tempt the cops too much. No matter how much the Chain around his neck tingled, Dirk didn't want to risk having anything go wrong with his timetable and being arrested would certainly count as a setback to his plans just now.**

**The supposed 'protection' that the Chain gave him was iffy at best as far as he was concerned, especially since he was working. He grimaced to himself before cautiously checking to make sure the way to the stage door was clear so no one would see him in this civilian get up. The very first thing he was going to have to do once this caper was finished was to modify one of the apartments in the left-hand building that he'd bought and stock it with some basic wardrobe, tools, and weapons.**

**Until he finished the security upgrades and set up though, this office was much easier to secure. His wardrobe wouldn't be ready until Monday at least so he'd have to go to Bushroot's and see if that petal headed henchling had obeyed orders and kept Negaduck's spare supplies safe in his greenhouse.**

**Silently he slipped out the stage entrance that led into the alleyway while Tuskernini and the penguins were finishing out by the stage. According to that fat walrus, the actors and models were all learning their parts and rehearsing for the full run through on Monday. The actual job was scheduled for Thursday, which meant that there was a little room for improvisation, but not much. Tuskernini was supposed to finish the décor, set dressing and costuming on Monday which would coincide perfectly with the advertising that would start tonight. Even though Drake had evidently gone native for the weekend, Dirk knew that his brother's ego would be unable to resist the multimedia rush for Darkwing that he'd planned. **

**Dirk figured if he was going to throw a personal curve ball at his dippy do-gooder of a brother and keep both him and that temperamental Mage born girlfriend of his out of the way and out of his feathers; then it would HAVE to be just before Negaduck hit the research lab…. That way Drake wouldn't have time to interfere AND make up with his Lady and unless Dirk had misjudged Morgana completely, she wasn't going to take his little distraction well at all.**

**Dirk figured that Drake would be so busy begging Morgana's forgiveness and dodging arcane power bolts that he wouldn't be able to do any crime busting for at least a day, maybe more if she was truly upset. That would give Dirk plenty of lead-time to outwit Darkwing and continue his investigation and preparations without having to worry about interference from Morgana or Drake in either of his personas. **

**Aside from the sheer entertainment value inherent in this scheme, there was the added bonus of keeping Drake of balance emotionally, which usually slowed his crime solving considerably. If this all worked out, Drake wouldn't even suspect the reason Negaduck was interested in this particular lab. Darkwing would be stumbling around without a clue and out of harms way while Dirk put together the preliminary groundwork to enable him to fend off F.O.W.L., or anyone else that tried to muscle in on HIS territory.**

**Dirk sighed and forced himself to take a deep breath and then release it as he focused his thoughts on his plan. His instincts had actually decided a few days ago that F.O.W.L. probably wasn't the source of the troubled currents of rumor, violence and intrigue currently running rampant through St. Canard's criminal underworld.**

**Steelbeak, who was Fowl's top agent in this area; knew better than to try this kind of approach, If he wanted a meeting or if F.O.W.L. was planning a major caper; he was a professional and knew how to get the information and resources he needed without all this mystery and drama.**

**Besides, Steelbeak had just escaped from S.H.U.S.H.'s medical custody a few days ago. Recovering from third degree burns took time and rehab even with the Mage born help the rooster had gotten since his injuries were the result of an attack by a criminally insane Mage born. F.O.W.L. did of course have other operatives, and their high command had even been known to stay in the greater St. Canard area from time to time, but F.O.W.L. had been laying low for at least the last six weeks or so. **

**The only real confirmed activity Negaduck had heard of was over a month old and had been in the South Pacific rim…somewhere called Cape Suzette if he remembered right. Nevertheless, the whispers from the underground said that the criminal pecking order in the city was being sized up for a major shakedown and Negaduck did not intend to being taken out by this mysterious character, whoever he or she was. **

**His expression turned hard, angry and hungry as he felt his resolve harden to steel. Whoever was behind the rumors and fear he had been investigating was going to discover the hard way that there were far easier targets than Dirk Mallard and far safer cities to try and control than St. Canard…no matter WHO they were.**

**Dirk DID pause to consider if maybe this mystery person was behind Megavolt's continued absence; but it was far more likely that the electrically charged rat had short-circuited himself and had forgotten where he was supposed to be. It was one of the major downsides to Megavolt's powers and one of the main reasons that he didn't have very good short-term memory or long term planning ability. As part of the Fearsome Five Megavolt didn't need to think though, he just had to follow orders, especially since Negaduck usually paired him up with at least one of the others to remind him.**

**Grinning nastily at the thought of how utterly clueless his opponents usually were and fighting off a surge of adrenaline as he considered the heady challenge that this unknown was; Dirk slipped out of the theater and took a taxi to the huge municipal park that housed one of the many research campuses around the city. **

**There was also a small, specialized, branch of the public library, and a butterfly zoo in this park complex. This meant the park was home to a huge complex of greenhouses used to house, breed and display the insects for conservation and fund raising.**

**The curators and caretakers also propagated the large assortment of flora used in the endeavor; as well as providing exotic plants and extracts for medicinal research used by the nearby facilities. It was one of the places Dr. Reginald Bushroot called home when he wasn't in prison or working for Negaduck. **

**After making sure the taxi was going to return and wait for him outside the library in two hours, Dirk moved calmly towards the library carrying his garment bag folded to look more like a black briefcase than a piece of luggage. After calmly looking through the reference sections and making clandestine and unauthorized digital copies of the information he wanted, he moved to the restroom and changed into his Negaduck costume. Putting the garment bag out the window, he climbed out himself and went swiftly to the greenhouses.**

**---**

**Bushroot sighed with satisfaction as he surveyed his little domain. Because the butterflies here were almost all endangered species, and protected by local, state and federal law; these greenhouses were never shut down or shorted in their need for resources like water, fresh soil, or repairs and he reveled in the robust health of all the plants here. **

**The very few people who occasionally stumbled on his work areas or him benefited as well since he used his unique abilities to ward off disease and parasites within the complex and was careful to ensure that no one was hurt by any of his research. In return, no one had ever reported his presence here to any of the authorities; it was one of the few places in St. Canard he could relax. Even so, Reggie WAS cautious since he knew people tended to react badly to his obvious differences and yet….**

**One of the research students came here and read aloud to him at least once a week since she had stumbled on him carefully tending the common milkweed plants that fed the Monarch butterflies with the same tender concern that others lavished on the exotics. This meant that he got to hear about the latest biological and agricultural research papers that got published without having to disguise himself for the trip to the library more than once a week. **

**Bushroot felt an unfamiliar but welcome surge of pride and accomplishment as he remembered that he had clandestinely contributed some data to one of the cancer researchers recently in his guise as a research collaborator who volunteered here. He drifted into a pleasant daydream about that particular project and the young assistant who hadn't been afraid of him. **

**Reggie smiled as he recalled her clear gentle voice but his daydream was rudely interrupted when her imagined voice became Negaduck's harsh growl. "Bushroot! Are you in here?"**

**Not daring to risk making Negaduck angry or having him disrupt the people who came here if he became impatient, Bushroot quickly moved out onto one of the open paths and called out, "Here we are boss." **

**He and Spike moved toward the Northern entrance and intercepted Negaduck who was just about to knock over a shelf filled with empty plant pots and other extra supplies. In honesty, Dirk hadn't meant to be destructive this time, he was just wasn't used to moving in the restrictive space available inside the greenhouses; especially since his mind was already focused on the next item on his agenda. **

**Stomping in an irritated way up to the mutant plant duck, Negaduck growled, "Keep that stupid thing away from me, you know I don't like pets!"**

**Spike moved away from Negaduck and sat down beside his master, watching the two ducks as they talked. Greatly daring, Bushroot stuttered nervously, "He heh he…Spike won't hurt you Boss, How can I help you?"**

**Negaduck grabbed Bushroot by the front of his chest and snarled, "He better NOT! Not if he want's to stay in one piece. Did you manage to keep the stuff I gave you in one piece this time veggie breath?"**

**Bushroot gulped and nodded, "Sure, Boss."**

**After Negaduck released him, Bushroot led the way to one of the small storage closets that he had hidden with a subtle screening of vines from a rare experimental Asian plant imported for glaucoma research.**

**After convincing, the plant to shift aside he proudly opened the door and Negaduck grinned at the sight of his equipment and weapons all safely stored in airtight sealed containers awaiting him like old friends. He DID glance at the vines suspiciously as the rustled when he went in the door, but Bushroot stilled them with a leafy hand to their stems and watched silently as an unfamiliar expression crossed Negaduck's face. **

**Negaduck for his part didn't realize just how on edge being so thin on resources had made him until he felt the relief flood his system as he carefully restocked his jacket and cape. Stuffing a few of the bulkier items in the garment bag with his civilian outfit, Negs carefully resealed the cases and turned toward the door. Resuming his habitual scowl and carefully making a mental note to restock this storeroom since it had worked out so well, he glared at Bushroot daring the mutant plant duck to say anything about his giveaway expression.**

**Bushroot carefully pretended blindness and made sure to keep Spike out of Negaduck's way as the short mallard stomped past him headed for the door. Seeing that Bushroot had access to a small laptop sitting at one of the workstations beside the door he paused. **

**Sounding almost…embarrassed, Negaduck handed his henchman the flash drive he'd loaded with several gigs of information from the government data bases he'd broken into earlier in the month. Negaduck had been alternating his physical spying with more intellectual pursuits in the last few weeks. **

**While contemplating his twin's tiny group of personal supporters and trying to decide what to do with them, Dirk had come across a lot of things his own little cabal could use. This data card held the fruits of one of his information gathering sessions and ought to keep Bushroot safely distracted and usefully out of circulation for the next few days at least. **

**Gruffly Negaduck said, "Here, this is the stuff from the department of agriculture on the biodegradable fertilization experiments upstate and the gene splicing in Europe you wanted to find. At least I think it is. Megabyte Beagle is only as reliable as the money he gets, but even if it's not exactly what you wanted it should come in handy."**

**Eagerly inserting the flash drive Reggie caught his breath in delight as he scanned the files, with this data he could continue with his work without having to leave his safe zone for at least the next few weeks. Especially since, he could sustain himself almost indefinitely on the same nutrients the plants here got as long as he added extra protein and trace elements to keep his brain chemistry balanced. **

**Suddenly realizing that he had tuned out the Mallard of Menace he came out of his reading to say, "Gee thanks Negaduck…Oh BOY this is great. "**

**However, Negaduck had disappeared and all that Bushroot found was Spike hobbled between two potted palms chewing contentedly on a fertilizer spike with a note stuck to the top of his head. This did not actually bother Bushroot as much as you might think since the note had been attached with rubber cement instead of a staple or nail gun. Bushroot admitted to himself that honestly the top of Spike's head was the one place his doglike plant couldn't easily remove or destroy it.**

**Pulling the note gently off his pet and releasing him to roll in a soil bed and take a nap, Bushroot read; 'B, You FINNALLY obeyed orders and kept my stuff pretty good so consider the flash a bonus. The set up you have going looks custom puff for you and I want to know where to find you so STAY put and lie low.**

**That idiot rodent M has been AWOL for way too long and I am going out of town for a few days to scout around and see what is really happening. Keep out of trouble and use my second emergency drop if you need to move. **

**DON'T start anything messy until you hear from me and try to monitor L and Q. If they mess up while I'm gone just let them rot in S.H.U.S.H. custody until I get back. If some fool tries anything fancy just take notes like it's a research project and I'll straighten it out when I get back. N.' AND DISTROY THIS NOTE YOU KNOB!**

**Feeling a sense of freedom and excitement as he realized that he wasn't going to be facing any villainous assignments for the next few days or even longer; Reggie raised his hands in glee and all the plants surged and shifted in response to his happiness. Letting Spike eat the note which he had realized was written in his all natural ink on his recycled natural fiber paper and so would be a fairly nutritious snack for the mutated Venus fly trap , he sent his awareness throughout the warehouse and by extension through the park. Prudently calming everything back down and encouraging all the plants to settle and grow So that none of the others in the complex would notice his influence, he yawned and carefully replaced the cap over the copper sensors on the end of the flash drive.**

**After tying the little thing into his head petals with the twist of charms that Granny Babalawo had allowed him to keep from back in May, he erased the keyboard cache and powered off the laptop. Putting it in the storeroom before hiding deep in the soil nearby to rest and keep an eye on Negaduck's things he reflected sleepily, 'Since he's happy now, I had better keep on the same way I have so nothing happens to the rest of his stuff. Besides I wouldn't want the researchers or tour groups to stumble on anything and force me out of such a comfy spot. Negaduck has been a lot more distracted lately, but if he's going to look for Megavolt, my friends and I can keep an eye on Quackerjack and Liquidator.'**

**With this surprisingly coherent plan in mind, he and Spike settled down to rest. Right now, Reggie was too sleepy to wonder where Negaduck had gone. The sun was setting, and Bushroot's plant side was heavily influenced by the reduced energy from the lack of photosynthesis from the chlorophyll in his outer layers of skin. **

**Unless he was physically active and made an effort to keep his alertness up until after dusk, he had discovered that giving in to his urge to have a short nap at sunset meant he could stay up most of the night later if he needed to. This in turn meant he could continue his reading later. once the maintenance and cleaning crews came and went and the caretakers had locked everything down, no one would disturb him for hours. **

**---**

**Back at the campground, things were actually going fairly well until the campers gathered to receive their badges from the troop leaders just before lunch on Monday. Mrs. Muddlefoot was still giggling euphorically whenever she looked at Drake or Morgana, and after getting over their surprise; both Gyro and Fenton had offered their congratulations and then dropped it.**

**Being guys, they understood Drake's discomfort in dwelling on his having committed to Morgana. They and Launchpad had their hands full anyway since the triplets and Gosalyn together tended to be very hard on the environment and the adults responsible for them. **

**Since Gosalyn was a natural leader and usually took charge whenever she and Honker were together, she and Huey had had a few tense moments. Overall, though, the triplets had seemed to be getting on very well with the ducklings from St. Canard, especially since they all remembered their friendship from online and the adventure involving the money bin back in May. **

**They had become fast friends after that and even spent time talking on the phone and sending messages to each other. Gosalyn and Honker had even spent several weekends visiting Mr. McDuck's estate since it had enough room for eight or nine families' not just the Mallards.**

**The fact that this coincided with several S.H.U.S.H. missions for Darkwing and Launchpad was something that only the ducks from St. Canard knew, but it had all seemed to be going swimmingly in any case.**

**Little Webbigail was beside herself with excitement and fairly bursting with pride since she had earned the same number of badges that Honker, Gosalyn and the other children in the troop from St. Canard had earned so far this weekend.**

**Then of course, uncaring fate stepped in, this time in the form of Dewy Duck. Dewy had thoughtlessly pointed out that he and his brothers and the other Jr. Woodchucks from Duckburg had a great many more badges in total than Webbigail or the Woodchucks from St. Canard and hurt not just her feelings but several of the other children's' as well. **

**That had earned him dishwashing detail for the rest of the meals here and a stern lecture about courtesy and respect for the rest of the children from Fenton, Launchpad and Gyro. Honestly Drake doubted this would help the Duckburg children get along with the troop from St. Canard any better, but he had agreed that SOMETHING needed to be said so he'd held his tongue particularly since Launchpad was in charge not him.**

**This self restraint on his part DID have it's rewards, he had taken the opportunity to slip away just a short distance from the fire pit and the main camp so that he and Morgana could have a little time to talk without prying ears and eyes. Drake figured that this was a good plan since all the children were currently being lectured to by the official Jr. Woodchuck troop leaders. LP was used to Gosalyn and would keep a close eye on her.**

**After the three adults had had their say and taken Dewy away to begin helping with the lunch preparations, Gosalyn had tried to get some of the others interested in a pick up game of dodge ball and had been rudely rebuffed by everyone since there were a lot of hurt feelings on all sides.**

**Deciding that she would have better luck if she tried later, Gosalyn grabbed Honker and offered, " Come on Honk, Dad wasn't in on the whole speech thing and we aren't in any trouble, lets explore for a bit…."**

**For her part, Gosalyn was disappointed that Huey and Louie had decided to be angry about Dewy's predicament since they had drawn most of the other Jr. Woodchucks into a them versus us sort of dispute. However, being naturally competitive, she DID kind of understand the brothers wanting to stick together and she had recognized Dewy's boasting for the empty bragging it was. **

**While his remarks HAD hurt a little, personally she hoped that everyone would be friends again after dinner and the campfire tonight. She was too experienced with bruised egos to hope that lunch would be enough time smooth things over; so meanwhile she figured that she and Honker could check out the underbrush and see if any of the 'harmless woodland creatures' her dad was always quoting about had come close to the campground looking for a handout. With this in mind, she begged a few carrot sticks and a quackerware container of nuts and dried fruit from Mrs. Muddlefoot and dragged Honker off to explore.**

**Launchpad was busy trying to cheer up the still miserable Webbigail or he would have drafted Gosalyn and Honker into his badge making class to keep the occupied and out of trouble while everyone calmed down. As it turned out, his being distracted and Gosalyn being curious and wanting to be near her dad; would mean some startling revelations were in store for both of the ducklings.**

**---**

**Meanwhile, Drake and Morgana had found a very picturesque spot to settle in for a little quality time together. They were sitting beside a little pool of still water in the shade of some tall trees where the rocks had grown some interesting moss on them and Morgana had stopped to examine the tree shelf mushrooms that had flourished in the deep shade here. **

**Drake knew how dangerous it was to pick wild mushrooms but when he'd hesitantly brought it up to Morgana she'd smiled a little sadly and said with a small smile, "You're so cute when you worry Dark darling."**

**She bent forward and kissed his beak causing him to temporarily lose his balance and fall beside the pool. Concerned for him she knelt to make sure he wasn't hurt and continued quietly, "I understand about the dangers of such things Drake, I wouldn't want to upset the balance of the pool by disturbing the forest hereabouts anyway."**

**Grinning a little foolishly Drake asked, "what about my balance? It seems really disturbed to me."**

"**Actually Drake, it's just right from my perspective. " Morgana smiled and reached to caress his beak gently as she kissed him again sending him into a happy stupor.**

**Because they were completely besotted with each other nether of them noticed that Gosalyn and Honker were peeking curiously around a small outcrop of rock nearby. Eek, Squeek and Archie were distracted as well since they were quietly conversing with Grimm who was carefully not saying anything about the little fox or his daughters who were now concentrating very hard indeed on their concealment spells.**

**The only one more embarrassed than them by their loss of concentration earlier had been their sire. Surprisingly though the fox just couldn't stay away from the two ducklings. Grimm and Archie watched all three little ones intently, but without his littermate's interference, the foxes control was flawless and neither the bats nor the ducks even noticed him poking around as he made his way from the adults to the ducklings like a moth circling a lighted light bulb. **

**Grim felt his whiskers twitch with pride as he saw how well the male was doing but this only made the girl kittens more upset, they wanted to prove that they too could move undetected by the ducks or Morgana's bats, but they didn't want to chance messing up again so instead of going near the ducklings hiding behind the rock they carefully approached the cuddling adults.**

**Eek was crooning contentedly in Morgana's hair and Squeek was chirring from his new favorite perch snuggled carefully at the hollow of Drake's collarbone just under his bill and basking in the warmth that was rising through the duck's feathers as he relaxed beside Morgana.**

**Morgana had no way to realize that she was triggering something unusual in Drake as she let herself relax beside him and extended her mage senses to ask him to let her in his mind. They hadn't done this sort of intimate connecting from within in about a week and Morgana realized that she missed it very much. **

**Of course she always had Archie, Eek and Squeek but Drake's touch was very different in spite of it's similarities and it satisfied a little of her need for intimacy so that she found it easier to resist her desire to ask more from Drake physically than he wanted to give her before their formal oath taking. Drake for his part was relaxed enough as he lay beside her that the gentle nudge that was Morgana's inner touch didn't frighten him, instead he smiled and let her inside his mind's defenses. **

**After what had happened to them back in May, they had taken days to recover enough to try to resume their usual routines. While the Mage born and S.H.U.S.H. 's medical team had tended them, Drake had been learning some rudimentary techniques that were similar to the Quack Fu mental exercises that he'd remembered to try and cope with their injuries. **

**Morgana had learned these things in very early childhood and this familiarity with her mental defenses had allowed her to take Drake into her own mindscape back in February after the whole mess with her father. This shared consciousness was what she and Eek concentrated on invoking to help strengthen their ties to Drake.**

**Drake for his part was surprisingly comfortable with this even though it was a distinctly Mage born skill and not anything he had even suspected was possible until Morgana and her crew had saved him from madness in February. Even so, it was still a bit of a surprise to SEE Morgana's familiars, himself and Morgana together within her mind and it took him a few seconds to get the hang of sensing his physical surroundings again as well as stay aware of the ebb and flow between the four of them. **

**Tiring considerably after only a few minutes of being connected, Drake sagged against the soft mossy ground and fell asleep. All the emotional stress he had been dealing with all week had finally combined with his lack of sleep and it had all caught up to him when Morgana and her bats made him feel safe.**

**Concerned Morgana touched him gently but Eek spoke up reassuringly, **'He's been fretting all week trying to face his fear of being rejected. Why don't you snuggle next to him for a while and let him rest?'

**Archie left Grimm's company, scuttled over to the two ducks, and carefully used his senses to feel how they were doing. He tried to be quiet and subtle but to Grimm's delight and amusement, grumpy and irritable Archie let out a contented hum and curled into the collar of Morgana's top as he sent and received energy from the group. The bats in turn were crooning contentedly, almost on a high as they basked in the release of emotions and tensions between their companions.**

**---**

_Here is the next bit I hope it is a good read and that people enjoy it. Please DO let me know if you like this and even if you don't. LOL thank you in advance. Irual_


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: All the characters that are from the cartoons that Disney invented belong to them and are used without permission. I am receiving no money or financial gains of any kind from this or any other story containing any copywriter characters. This chapter DOES contain a bit of graphic description about Drake's early childhood that MAY be a shock so please let me know if I am too descriptive or anything. I am practicing my writing and storytelling skills for the feedback only so please DO let me know what you think. I welcome any constructive suggestions and comments. Irual_

**---**

**Gosalyn and Honker were peeking cautiously around a fairly large outcrop of rock and Honker was getting a bit nervous about this whole idea. Gosalyn was fairly impatient as a general rule, but she didn't want to get into trouble so instead of sneaking any closer to the secluded little pool where her dad and Morgana were lounging together; she was trying to crawl onto the top of the rock in order to see better. Since the rock was a couple of feet taller than her and had been worn smooth from years of erosion she was having trouble finding any handholds to pull herself up with. **

**Frustrated she asked very quietly, "Honker, can you give me a boost? If I could get on top of this thing I'd be able to see and Dad won't notice as long as I'm quiet. Morgana has him all stupefied."**

**Honker sighed this was a really BAD idea, he KNEW it was; but against his better judgment he gestured for her to keep her voice down and whispered, "Alright Gosalyn. I'll try, but BE quiet okay? I'd like it if we could stay out of trouble for today."**

**Making a stirrup with his hands he tried to make a step for her to use to climb up the rock. Carefully she boosted herself up and grabbed for the top of the rock, unfortunately Honker wasn't nearly as athletic as his best friend and she was a very sturdy, well muscled duckling to boot; so his efforts resulted in both of them sprawling to one side of the rock while making muffled "Oof" noises.**

**Morgana and Drake meanwhile were very cozy as they lay side by side next to the idyllic little pool of water they had 'discovered' earlier in the weekend. While they dozed Archie, Eek and Squeek relaxed as well basking in their companion's contentment. It was a rare chance to be with both of them and not have trouble rear it's ugly head, or so they thought. **

**Drake's mind was a well ordered place full of the many of the same sort's of needs and desires Morgana's was. As far as the familiars had discovered, he was surprisingly accepting about Mage contact and his carefully hidden sensitivity and kindness were usually kept under wraps to try and avoid being hurt as a kind of defense. **

**This was a rare chance to settle into him more than they had, and all three familiars were eager to do so. Particularly since it would mean being able to safeguard him against crippling himself or his loved ones the way he had accidentally attempted to do when they had first forged ties to him. **

**After the incident at Castle Macabre in February, none of the familiars doubted Drake's inner strength or feelings for Morgana or them. They felt handicapped in their duties towards him because they were separated from him so much, but now things were looking up. **

**Squeek had been taking every opportunity to stay with and on Drake, Gosalyn and even Launchpad since his injury back in May. Knowing he was far more tied to the now semi-normal duck and his family than his brothers were, Squeek graciously helped Archie to strengthen his ties to Drake by rubbing his soft, black furred head against Drake's bill. Squeek hoped to keep Drake relaxed as Archie cautiously extended himself within the other's mind and at first the plan seemed to work like a charm. **

**One of Archie's specialties was dealing in emotions, energy output and guiding Morgana so she maintained her health and mental balance and he hoped to be able to do the same for Drake with stronger ties to him. Practice and familiarity would help all of them and with the dangers Drake regularly faced; leaving him vulnerable to old injuries was not an option. **

**With this in mind, Archie carefully began to explore some of the deeper areas of Drake's mind. Remembering what had happened to them back in February, Archie tried to be cautious; but the kind of crippling emotional injury Drake had evidenced then was too extensive to ignore. It seemed to indicate a much older and very severe problem. **

**As far as the familiars were concerned, the fact that Drake had managed to continue on so well for so long in spite of his difficulties, without a spirit kin to balance him; was a testament to just how strong he really was. Archie was careful to remain silent on the outside, but inside he hummed gently as he explored, there was no reason why Drake had to struggle on alone anymore. **

**Since he and Morgana were now officially a pair, it was time and past to settle into their duties for him as well as Morgana. Besides she would need all the inside information she could get in order to make progress healing Drake since she wasn't a true healer and Drake was Normal born. True healers were vanishingly rare, but strong multi-talented Mage born like Morgana were capable of many healing feats. **

**As long as her ties were willing and intimate enough with Drake she would benefit from his strength as well as being able to safeguard his body. This was a closely held secret though since no one wanted the kinds of trouble that happened historically when other people got wind of those kinds of things. As far as the familiars were concerned, this was actually one of the few legitimate fears that Monoculo was right to have about her living out in Normal lands; but it shouldn't matter now that she had some protections from the Normals themselves. **

**Council-head Bellarmine had taken a personal interest in her and Drake and openly supported the inclusion of Normals into Mage and Monster born families. That alone was something that had silenced their critics even among the conservative faction of Power. Archie had to sternly force himself to go slowly with his explorations as he continued to reflect and became excited again. **

**Drake and Little Gosalyn were a bit of a conundrum for all the familiars really, but none of them had come up with anything helpful for Gosalyn. She was Sensitive, intelligent and surprisingly eager to learn and for all the best reasons; and every familiar who interacted with the girl ended up becoming at least a little fond of her. **

**Many like Grimm, Squeek and Archie were much more than fond if the truth were to be told. She had a child's fascination with Magic of course, but no real drive to take or hoard Power which was a plus. Unfortunately her competitive streak might become a problem if she progressed much beyond occasional private study and exploration.**

**Without her own familiar though, the most they could do was make sure she felt included as much as possible so she felt close to her new mother. Being Normal born meant that she was just not able to access energy by herself and that alone would preclude her success in Magic. She had gotten along very well with the Eldritch Academy's familiar, but he had been lax and inattentive and the incident that had followed had nearly been disastrous. **

**Drake's only real resistance to Mage craft now stemmed directly from that and it was going to be hard to convince him otherwise especially concerning Gosalyn. Dealing with two chosen was going to be very difficult, although doable since there were three familiars to share the responsibility, but Archie nearly fainted at the thought of trying to stretch their links to actively channel to and from Gosalyn as well. **

**Drake and Morgana were both stubborn and strong and Gosalyn would need a lot of attention and care to keep her safe especially in Magic. That would be really hard to balance and dangerous for everyone. So the three of them had decided, albeit reluctantly, to keep their ties to Gosalyn passive unless something drastically changed and that wasn't likely. Besides, Gosalyn was young yet and there was still plenty of time to teach her once they got her father settled some.**

**Archie, Eek and Squeek all knew that once Morgana survived a successful pregnancy and proved the viability of her bond, even those few who persisted in criticizing her and the population expansion plan put forth by the council would be forced into silence if not grudging acceptance. Until Drake learned how to balance Morgana and support her magically though, it was a very risky thing. The Normals promises of medical aid and care that Bellarmine had wrangled from the government here in payment for the voluntary services of some of his people would be a poor exchange for their chosen's and health and happiness if something tragic happened. **

**Eek hummed reassuringly to Morgana and she slid an arm around Drake and turned to face him as he lay on his back. He had his left arm behind his head and her actions inadvertently pinned his arm in place. This caused his unconscious fears to surge as he tried and failed to move his arm in his sleep. Fortunately, neither Morgana nor her familiars were caught off guard this time, and Morgana managed to extract the four of them just ahead of the maelstrom of emotions that woke Drake with a start. Realizing what he had very nearly done AGAIN, he flushed as Morgana moved enough to let him free his arm from behind his head.**

**He started to pull away but she tightened her hold and said gently, "Drake darling, don't please…the boys and I are not upset. " **

**A flash of the infamous Macabre temper showed in her eyes for a moment as she added, "But I WILL BE if you try and shut us out because you think you are bad or wrong or whatever your poor head is trying to convince you of."**

**Softening her expression she added, "Please, tell me what happened to you that keeps doing that to us. Archie and Squeek know that it was long ago, but it still hurts you and us…. Listen to your heart my sweet Mallard, you know we don't blame you."**

**The ring threaded through the Chain around her neck stopped pulsing as he calmed and stopped trying to punish himself. But Morgana knew that Drake was still emotionally vulnerable and she didn't want him to harm himself so she waited quietly while Eek, Squeek and Archie soothed his fear. Soon enough they had the desired effect of calming his emotional firestorm. Drake drew a breath to try and say something out loud since he was too tired and uncertain to try and talk to her from within. **

**The little silver fox kit was perched on top of the rock Gosalyn had been trying to climb on top of and was watching Honker and Gosalyn as they scrambled quietly to their feet. Realizing that the adults were sitting up and talking, Gosalyn held her breath in hopes that they could hear some of the conversation. There were a couple of fairly large trees just a couple of feet away and if they could hide behind those it would be easier to hear. Deciding to go ahead and try to creep a little nearer Gosalyn gestured silently to Honker and tip toed dramatically toward the adults. **

**She knew that Morgana had been teaching her dad some neat meditation techniques and stuff and he had explained about her saving him in February. She knew the two of them were connected sometimes since the big fight in Duckburg back in May. **

**When Morgana's Aunt and Uncle had come to visit after that and made themselves at home, Gosalyn had practiced with her snow globe everyday and it had been awesome. Since then she had learned to pay attention when her bracelet tingled, the Chain on her wrist was doing that now and that usually meant Morgana was doing something magical. **

**This was one of the few times Gosalyn had had a chance to spy on her Dad and Morgana while they were doing something like that on purpose since then, and she was very nearly dying from curiosity. Grimm and Archie had made time to be with her while Dad and Morgana had been ill but other than when Gosalyn used her snow globe, she didn't get the chance to be around active magic much unless her dad took her to Morgana's house. Feeling a little left out, she was itching to find out what they were up to. **

**Gosalyn wanted desperately to be included in the magic lessons and Morgana had said she would ask Dad to let her try, but that had been almost two weeks ago. Gosalyn HAD to find out if Morgana had convinced Dad to let her attempt some of the things she wanted to try…. **

**Gosalyn remembered all too well how the magical students at the Eldritch Academy had teased and laughed at her, and the vague memories she had of the weird janitor still made her shiver in a bad way. But Magic was a big part of Morgana's life and Gosalyn felt that somehow she needed to be included in order to be close to Morgana. **

**After what had happened at Morgana's old school though, the only way Dad would allow her to learn anything like potions or cool Magical spell stuff was if she did it on the sly unless Morgana convinced him that one-on-one lessons with her would be a bonding experience or something. Gosalyn felt the Chain on her wrist tingle again and instinctively looked up towards where Grimm was crouched invisible and partially intangible in the branches of a truly large balsam pine tree. Not seeing anything she focused her attention resolutely on getting nearer to the two adult ducks without getting caught and ignored the tingling since the tree looked perfectly normal and empty. **

**Gosalyn DID suppress a twinge of guilt as she noticed her daddy's expression and realized he was hurting. He and Morgana thought they were alone, and most likely they'd be upset if they found out they were being spied on. However, Gosalyn wasn't going to risk going away and missing out on the chance to help her Dad or Morgana. Firming her resolve and holding her breath she waited to hear what Dad said…. **

**Drake sat up and made sure to keep Morgana's arms around his waist so she wouldn't think he was pulling away and get angry. He sighed and tried to organize his thoughts. He felt his nervousness return as he struggled with the fear that Morgana would decide he was too damaged to keep and took a deep breath. She deserved to know what she was getting for a husband, but…. The Chain around his neck pulsed quietly and he calmed a little as Morgana's promise ring told him of her calm emotional state and he felt the support in her embrace. **

**Morgana serenely preened the feathers along the side of his neck distractingly and said gently, "I love you Drake…all of you, I know perfectly well that there is a lot more to you than just the dashing crime fighter Darkwing and my Dark. Please tell me about Drake, He's just as much you as Darkwing and my Dark are and I need to know him too."**

**Hesitantly he blushed a little and said, "It's…not something I like to remember, but…since you are going to be poking around in there on occasion, I guess it's only fair to warn you that there are some really ugly bits in my head."**

**The fox shaped spirit leaped down off the rock and crept after Honker as he tried to sneak after Gosalyn. Unfortunately Honker's woodsman skills were nowhere near silent and he made a little noise but then so did Gosalyn. Still she flinched dramatically when his foot hit a root and he stumbled into her. They froze guiltily but nether adult duck appeared to have heard them. **

**The two black kittens meanwhile crept silently to the near side of the pool and as far as they knew were undetected by Morgana and her crew. Archie and Squeek were busy within Drake but Eek was keeping a weather eye out and had spotted the kittens. **

**He winked at Grimm, who watched over the proceedings from his spot in one of the very biggest trees; and pretended not to have noticed the kits since they were not doing any harm and swiftly moved to peek at their brother and the ducklings. Eek saw nothing wrong in having the other spirits around.**

**Grimm had taken a personal interest in Gosalyn and Drake. So had Mossie, Kaa and Raa, although Mossie would never admit it out loud of course. Usually one familiar or another popped by or spoke to him or one of the others to offer some advice or a sympathetic ear every so often and Grimm would keep an eye out for trouble while they bonded with Drake a bit. **

**Besides, Eek figured he could always tell the others about the baby kin later if he needed to. From what little he could gather the tiny black kittens were simply tasting the auras of the ducks and sniffing around and there was no harm in that after all. Knowing that Grimm's get were pouncing about and learning was something that would cheer up Archie when he found out anyway.**

**Focusing his attention back on Morgana and Drake he failed to realize the significance of the kitten's interest as they got closer and closer to the ducklings. Carefully skirting the fox and Honker the kittens leaped from a nearby tree onto the one Gosalyn was hiding behind and hung from the trunk to sniff at her hair.**

**Hanging upside down like this was fun and being mostly intangible meant they could do so without getting too sick or dizzy so both kittens settled just above Gosalyn and watched her aura flex and her energy shift in response to her emotional state. The girl duckling had a TOY on her wrist that sparkled in their SIGHT but what was MOST interesting was how deep and warm her core was. Almost against her will the leftmost kit reached a gentle, hesitant, paw out to touch that shimmering light inside the youngster and only the fox's warning stopped her.**

**Calmly he offered, **_'She'll be able to see and feel you if you do that.' _

**Primly their sister added, **_'and we might hurt or scare her if you aren't careful.'_

**Aghast at the thought****of harming the duckling and nervous over their reactions both kittens backed off and returned to the safety of Grimm's reassuring bulk. But the male was older than his sisters and confident that the children were listening to their elders too intently to pay attention even IF they SAW him by accident. He slid cautiously around the tree trunk and stared intently at Honker who like Gosalyn was unashamedly spying on Drake Mallard as he confessed some of his painful past to his fiancée.**

**Drake continued in a soft, conversational tone that also carried to the breathlessly excited ducklings, "I don't remember much before my eighth or ninth year or so and what I do remember I don't want to talk about now…." **

**He stopped Morgana's exasperated protest before it started by kissing her forehead and continuing slowly, "When I was nine or so I was in foster care. What that means is that my parents were dead. Instead of being sent to an orphanage and given the chance to be adopted, I was given to a single family who were supposed to take care of me in exchange for a little money from the child welfare department."**

**He shuddered and tried to force himself to calm down as those few sentences threatened to overwhelm his self control. Morgana was shocked at the turmoil she felt as her calm gentle Drake fell apart inside but before she could do more than tighten her arms protectively around him Archie spoke up.**

'_He needs a little time to gather himself Morgana, these are very old wounds he's opening…' _**surprise and shock colored the spider's voice as he added carefully,**_ 'they aren't his oldest scars but it IS part of what he needs to face. Cuddle him a little and let him go on as he can.'_

**Nodding a little Morgana whispered gently, "It's alright Drake, I can be patient. Take your time sweetheart."**

**Drake took a deep breath to focus himself and continued, "The first foster home I was sent to was a family named Blackfoot. They had some…very strict ideas about children and expected everyone they took in to obey their rules and never question anything. Almost from the second I got there I knew I was in trouble but there was nothing I could do. I was assigned to them and I was too weak and sick to run off even though I wanted to."**

**He stared straight ahead for a moment and then carefully flexed his left hand before stroking the now vigorously chirring Squeek with his fingers and taking Morgana's beak gently in his palm to kiss her. Pleasantly surprised by his forwardness and thrown off balance by the stark opposition of his emotional turmoil to his tender passionate touch, Morgana didn't say anything out loud; instead she accepted his kiss and waited to see if he would say more.**

**His inner tumult and his outer façade of serenity and gentle passion were a heady drug to her with them being so intimately connected. She had a little trouble focusing until he spoke again but with Archie's help she floated atop the currents of emotion while Eek joined Squeek in keeping Drake from crippling them all by pulling away.**

**Sighing he bit the proverbial bullet and continued, "I used to be ambidextrous and often ate and wrote with my left hand as well as I did with my right until the Blackfoot's noticed. They thought it was a sign of defiance and my inner evil that I used my left hand that way especially since I was already damaged goods and un-adoptable." **

**Tears leaked silently down his face but there was no outward sign of distress in his voice as he finished, "Mrs. Blackfoot tied me up with electrical cords and locked me in a closed closet for days…. After Mr. Blackfoot broke most of the bones in my left arm, hand and cracked the ribs on my left side trying to beat the evil out of me. They told me they were training me not to use my left hand to write with anymore, so I would have to obey them; but they couldn't hide what they were doing from the government agent who came to check on me."**

**Morgana wasn't the only one who gaped at this shocking admission of abuse. Gosalyn bit back an exclamation of fury and horror and almost broke cover to run to her daddy in an attempt to comfort him. She completely forgot that she was watching and hearing this without his knowledge or consent, but that was nothing compared to the tempest raging in Honker Muddlefoot's breast.**

**Honker's experience being her sidekick and helping Darkwing and Launchpad gave him the presence of mind to catch Gosalyn by the collar of her shirt in spite of the shocked thoughts circling in his head. He'd never have guessed in a million years that Mr. Mallard had overcome something like that to become the hero he was today. **

**Both of them fell behind a couple of bushes as his feet tripped them both and they narrowly missed landing on the invisible and intangible little fox spirit who dodged adroitly. Drake heard the rustling from their fall and turned his head freezing both ducklings guiltily. Before Drake could make up his mind to investigate the sounds he thought he had heard; the tiny KIN made a conscious choice and became abruptly tangible. **

**With a flirty flash of his silvery tail he showed himself to the adults and raced calmly over them to run up the tree his litter-sire Grimm was perched invisibly in and hid under the larger more experienced familiar. Grimm was almost too surprised to react properly as he SAW a future maybe before his eyes, ignoring his daughter's protests he shook off the distraction and took all three kits back to Sekhmet to explain events to her before anything else happened on his watch. **

**Thinking the strangely colored little animal was the source of the noise and not seeing it anymore, Drake responded to Eek's gentle encouragement and continued, "One of the government agents who had helped me before I was assigned to the Blackfoot's had come to see me and refused to be denied the chance to talk to me. He found me bleeding and delirious in the closet and I was told later; only the fact that I HAD to be taken to the hospital to try and stabilize my body and combat shock and dehydration immediately, kept him and his team from going over the edge and disregarding regulations entirely. They wanted to cripple Mr. and Mrs. Blackfoot in retaliation for what they did to me and the other children they were supposed to be taking care of."**

**Honker was actually on top of Gosalyn and the two ducklings were peering out of a screen of branches from the bush they were crouched in. They didn't dare move fearing that the noise they made would give them away, so both children had an unobstructed view of Drake and Morgana as well as being able to hear clearly as Drake spoke to Morgana from under the low branches of the underbrush. Morgana shook off her amazement at seeing and un-bonded spirit kin; and a baby one at that, way out here far from any Mage born and snapped her attention back to her beloved.**

**Drake continued "Instead the agent and his team got all the children away from the Blackfoot's. They were arrested and sentenced to four consecutive twenty year prison terms each without parole, once the investigation was finished. After the trial and a few weeks in a government facility the Beakwood's took me in and raised me until I turned eighteen." **

**A small smile actually blossomed on his beak as he admitted shyly, "It took me months of physical therapy to relearn to use my left side again and it was years before I really felt safe. They never gave up on me though and even though they were responsible for lots of other children while I was there, they kept me and loved me. They taught me to love and to trust again and showed me that there was still good in the world to live for. Once I joined S.H.U.S.H. and was sent overseas for training though I lost touch with them on purpose when I came back. I don't want my enemies to know who they are or what they mean to me."**

**Drake's Promise ring around her neck pulsed as his conflicting emotions told her how much he missed them and needed their approval about his life, everything from his masked crime fighter alter ego, to trying to raise Gosalyn, and especially his proposal to the lady duck he loved…. Kissing Drake gently and snuggling into his arms to give him the control she now understood he craved in order to build trust between them Morgana debated for a moment.**

**Taking a deep breath as tears shone unshed in her eyes she said, "Drake, my brave champion. I understand your wanting to protect them…truly; but…. They need to know about you and your life. Not giving them the gift of being part of your life and Gosalyn's is wrong beloved. Besides I have a very great deal to thank them for; so I think you should go see them when we return to the city."**

**Drake HAD been going to object and tried to say that it would be too dangerous for the Beakwood's to know about Darkwing but he was interrupted by Launchpad's not so distant shouts. Concern for Launchpad and the children overrode his attempt at protesting as Morgana held a finger to his beak. Clearly Morgana had decided that she WAS going to meet the Beakwood's and Drake WAS going to talk to them.**

**Before anything more could be said though Drake simply shook his head and helped her up. Launchpad strode into view trailing Huey, Louie, Webbigail and Doofus as well as two of the other children from St. Canard, a pig-like child named Bryan and one of the pups. His brown patch was over his left ear so it was Peter, his brother John's dark ear was on the right side of his head. **

**Coming up on the twosome Launchpad looked apologetic and asked worriedly, "Hi, have you guys seen Gos or Honker? I was hoping to get the kids together for lunch and some group activities before dark. We are all Jr. Woodchucks here after all and we need to remember that and get along."**

**Both Gosalyn and Honker struggled to extract themselves from the bush they had fallen in. Unfortunately the bush had some kind of vine twining through it that had glossy, spiked leaves. The more they struggled to free themselves, the more the vine tore and leaked. **

**Harsh sap from the vine soaked their feathers and both ducklings knew they were in trouble when they felt the wetness irritate the sensitive skin beneath their down. They both winced as they realized the usually tough skin on their lower legs and feet was beginning to burn and small red areas began to show on their lower extremities. **

**Gosalyn's Chain tingled again and without thinking she called out weakly, "Dad…."**

**Drake heard the muffled noises and parted the branches to look in the bush and saw them. He winced at the sight of them tangled in the vines and he flinched slightly as he saw their legs and feet. For a heart stopping moment Gosalyn thought her Dad was going to say something about their spying, but instead he knelt to free them. **

**Calling to Launchpad he said, "Here they are LP, I need your pocket handkerchief and keep the other kids back."**

**The other children had surged forward with Launchpad in the lead when Drake knelt into the bushes and only stopped when their troop leader said to. Reluctantly, Launchpad stopped as well handing Drake his kerchief. Honker struggled to his feet as Drake carefully pulled out his Jr. Woodchuck pen knife and began to cut the vines away from them. Handing Honker off to Launchpad, Drake said calmly…,"I hope we have more calamine lotion LP. Gos and Honker are going to need it."**

**Nervously Gosalyn asked, "Umm…what can I say? We didn't mean to get stuck in this stupid bush. "**

**Drake sighed and looked disappointed," We have been over and over this…."**

**Really uncomfortable now Honker stuttered out a partial apology, "I'm really sorry Mr. Mallard sir. We…"**

**Drake cut him off gently as he made sure none of the vines touched any of the other children, "I am too Honker, Gosalyn, you SHOULD know better, but there's no help for it now. Gosalyn and Honker are going to need baths too. They are tangled in Poison-oak."**

**Concerned now Morgana looked at the strangling vine and snapped her fingers causing what was left of the plant to disappear. Conjuring a soft wet cloth and handing it to Drake, she said calmly, "Carry Gosalyn Drake and we'll have them washed up in no time. My Aunt has a potion that works wonders on this kind of rash. Uncle Nero has a bad habit of blundering in the garden and usually finds all sorts of irritants that we transplant for our potions back home."**

**Drake nodded and carefully scooped Gosalyn up in his arms ignoring her attempts to protest that she could walk. Morgana conjured a second towel for Honker and told Eek, "Go get my carry all ready Eek and make sure the other children are in camp or with the other adults."**

**Moving gracefully and carrying Squeek and Archie she watched as Drake and Launchpad carried the ducklings back towards the campground. After having had their feathers thoroughly washed to get rid of the oils from the plant Morgana carefully applied some of her potion under their feathers and the skin of their feet and legs.**

**Mrs. Muddlefoot had looked a little apprehensive when Morgana had provided her homemade treatment out of her carryall but now she was twittering gratefully to the taller woman. The first aid kits were completely out of calamine lotion since many of the other children had also run afoul of the plant and its cousins. Without Morgana's help Honker and Gosalyn might have had to go to the emergency room since they seemed to be having an unusually virulent reaction to the sap. After Binkie had seen Morgana's handiwork on Drake, Launchpad and Gosalyn she had in fact been very interested in the 'alternative medicines' Morgana had grown up with. **

**Launchpad HAD tried to be careful, but Honker had nearly lost his glasses and grabbed for them with the leaf sap still on his feathers, and in the rush to keep Honker from getting any of the toxic stuff near his eyes, LP had gotten enough under his protective coat of white plumage to cause a reaction on his arm and hands. He didn't seem to be nearly as sensitive as the Mallards and Honker but Morgana had insisted on dosing him as well. **

**Drake meanwhile had been entirely concerned with getting the toxins off Gosalyn once he'd given Honker to Launchpad. He hadn't even noticed the red angry welts rising on his skin until Gosalyn had called Morgana over in a panic. Of course this DID have a small upside for Drake since it meant that Gosalyn wasn't the only Mallard getting attention from the winsome Ms. Macabre. **

**Since he wasn't exactly certain when Gosalyn and Honker had started their spying, he wasn't sure how much if anything they had overheard; so Drake decided to let things lie until later when he could quiz them privately. Even so, he DID want to know what they thought they were doing rolling around in Poison-oak like that. He had drilled Gosalyn extensively on those kinds of wilderness mishaps and he KNEW she could recognize those plants.**

**He just couldn't imagine why she had gotten mixed up in the stuff and even worse gotten poor Honker in it too. Drake shook his head fondly as he admitted to himself that that particular bit of their behavior wasn't really much of a mystery, wherever Gosalyn went Honker tended to be not far behind and where Gosalyn was, trouble was. That was just something he had figured out and accepted early on, but considering that he'd first met her while rescuing her from being kidnapped by a criminal kingpin's henchmen, that conclusion hadn't been much of a stretch for him to come to even if he hadn't been a trained detective.**

**They all sat together with Morgana at the picnic table and waited while Mrs. Muddlefoot brought them lunch. Usually everyone served themselves but Binkie refused to allow them to move until she was sure they were better. **

**Of course she had been just as motherly to and fussed over the other campers all weekend as well. This had endeared her to all the children. In spite of themselves, they had reveled in her attention and kindness. Many of the youngster's parents worked at least one job, sometimes more; and Mrs. Muddlefoot's fifty's TV mom style of parenting was a real treat for them. **

**While she bustled about and directed the lunch lines, Huey Duck came up to the table and shyly offered Gosalyn a Quackerware container that looked like it had trail mix in it. His brothers Louie and Dewy were beside him but nether of them spoke. When they were together Huey was their spokes-duck more often than not so this wasn't unusual for the triplets.**

**Sheepishly he offered, "Here Gosalyn, we saw this in the bush and figured you dropped it." Launchpad sighed and wiped Huey's fingers off before daubing some of Morgana's brew onto his hands and checking to make sure the triplets were free of any other sap. **

**Launchpad asked, "Gos, what were you and Honker doing anyway? You know you aren't supposed to sneak off alone. You should always tell someone when you leave the campground so we can look for you if you get lost."**

**Looking embarrassed Gosalyn admitted, "We were looking to see if there were any squirrels or anything to feed the fruit and nuts to. Finding Dad and Morgana was an accident…really. I just wanted…" Looking at her dad she stopped and looked at the tabletop before whispering "Sorry…"**

**Unconvinced about the accidental nature of Gosalyn's woodland exploration, Drake started to say something to that effect when he was interrupted by Fenton and Gyro. They came up to the picnic table finishing their sandwiches and smiling with determined good cheer. They surveyed the Mallards and their apparent battle of wills and the others seemingly caught in the crossfire and decided to intervene, as much as they could anyway. **

**Genially Gyro offered, "It's certainly a good thing you came with Drake this weekend Morgana."**

**Fenton chimed in with his own smile, "Thanks to Mrs. Muddlefoot and Morgana, all's well that ends well Drake." **

**Drake nodded diplomatically and started to verbally pin Gosalyn down again in an attempt to figure out why she seemed so intent on spying on him and Morg. Before Drake could truly begin to wiggle a straight answer out of her though, Huey Duck interrupted. Huey had made a megaphone out of an empty bleach bottle and in a loud announcer type voice he was getting all the children to come to the central fire pit. **

**Surprised at the triplets' behavior especially since Dewy in particular was still getting a fairly cold reception from some of the children, all of the adults moved towards the fire pit to find out exactly what was going on, bringing Gosalyn and Honker as well.**

**Huey, Louie and Dewy promptly began to apologize to the other campers by taking turns singing and acting out several skits with each other and then dragging other children into their act. After a few minutes of this, it was clear that the other children had decided to let bygones be bygones and Dewy even offered to organize a dodge ball game with Gosalyn as a co-captain of one of the teams. **

**Delighted, Gosalyn started to accept unfortunately though her rash was still very uncomfortable and Drake was not at all at ease with her being so physically active until she had a chance to rest and gave the lotion Morgana had rubbed on her a chance to really work. **

**This being the case, she was forced to take on a sideline role, and coach instead of play. Honker was actually very relieved to have a reason to stay out of the line of fire and to avoid being cross examined by Mr. Mallard. After the game, everyone settled in for the night since tomorrow was going to be taken up with packing everything and going home and everyone knew they were going to be getting up early to get a head start so they could beat the traffic.**

**---**

_Here is what I have worked out so far. Is this a good place to end it? Does it read well or is the end a little rushed? Any suggestions?____anyway I hope to hear from you soon. Your friend Lauri___


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: All characters invented by Disney are owned by Disney and are used without permission. I am doing this as writing practice and because I love Darkwing Duck cartoons. I am getting NO money for my efforts; just feedback so please read and review thanks, Lauri._

**---**

**Driving home had been something of an adventure, just because Gosalyn had become particularly itchy had to be kept from rubbing or scratching her rash. Morgana had stayed in the back seat with her and kept her entertained with stories about her various relatives and other people from her past.**

**Even so, there had been several times when Morgana had been forced to hold Gosalyn's hands to keep her from irritating her skin. The drive home had been even more stressful for Drake since he tended to be such a worrywart about Gosalyn. That concern had been nothing compared to the stern talking too Morgana had dished out when she had seen how he had dug at HIS bumps and even drawn blood since he hadn't had anything to distract him from his worries other than side seat driving while Launchpad placidly got them all home. **

**Launchpad grinned to himself as he finished unloading the We-Haul. Morgana didn't nag…not exactly, but he was certainly glad it wasn't him she was upset with. She had taken one look at Drake's arms and wrists and grey clouds had gathered over the quiet suburban neighborhood. **

**He was a bit startled though when Herb Muddlefoot came over from unloading their rented RV and asked cautiously, "Hiya Launchpad, say…is that Miss Morgana still here? My Binkums want's to know how often we need to put that lotion of hers on Honker and she said to ask if there was anything that reacted badly with it."**

**Launchpad nodded reassuringly and showed Herb his own small areas of rash which were almost healed. During the drive from the national park, he had noticed how much better he felt and that the irritation and itching had nearly faded away. There were still some wet blistered areas on his hands, most likely because he'd gripped the steering wheel and wiped most of the potion off his hands. **

**He offered, "Why don't you come on into the kitchen with me and I'll see if Morgana's done dosing Drake again, he was so upset over Gos that he scratched at his arms something fierce and Morgana threatened to sew him into soft cotton mittens for a week if he didn't behave." **

**Herb's face broke into his broad gentle smile as he shared a laugh with the tall lanky pilot and together they went into the kitchen. There they saw a heartwarming sight. The tall, curvaceous and winsome Morgana was calmly bossing Drake Mallard around his own kitchen. She had put a black full length apron on over her customary long, mermaid style, red dress and she had started several cast iron pots cooking on the stove. **

**Drake stuttered miserably, "But Honey-Wumpus, I can't…" **

**Morgana turned from the Dutch oven she was mixing some kind of casserole in and taking some of the noodle-like mixture onto the spoon she spoke to Drake gently, "Drake, I don't want to fight truly, but you are going to seriously injure yourself or cause an infection and I refuse to let that happen when we can do this and prevent it."**

**Firmly she shoved the spoonful of stuff into Drake's bill and both LP and Herb were surprised to realize that Drake was wearing oven mitts securely over both hands. Distracted by the moving noodles and trying not to offend Morgana since he was having real trouble swallowing them without being able to hold the spoon; Drake looked around the kitchen and spotted LP and Herb. Gulping at the casserole he flapped his hands at them and Morgana noticed them. **

**Smiling at Herb and Launchpad she bustled over to them and called to Eek, "Eek…Bring me that bottle of potion for Launchpad. Launchpad dear are you finished unloading the things from your trailer?" She asked sweetly. **

**Not being nearly as dumb as people sometimes thought he was, Launchpad instantly suspected he was in trouble if he said no. **

**Besides, he was just about ready to return the trailer so he said genially," Pretty much Morgana…heh, he, heh…."**

**Quick as a wink he found himself dosed in more of the potion and sitting quietly at the kitchen table next to a madly giggling Gosalyn with bandages wrapped around his hands while he ate casserole. Gosalyn was giggling because in spite of Drake's very discrete protests that he could feed himself…and he wouldn't scratch at the rash…honest. Morgana kept feeding him casserole and ignoring his attempts to scratch his arms which were healing again and driving him nuts. **

**Herb meanwhile had been given a small bottle of the stuff complete with a tiny scroll of directions and instructions to return for more if Honker needed it. For once Herb declined an offer of food, saying he had to get back to Binkie and the boys. Promising to have Binkie call or come over if she had any questions, he grinned again at the sight of his three neighbors being so…efficiently managed. Taking a little pity on Drake who was trying to prove he could eat with the oven mitts on and so didn't need help; Herb decided to offer a little of his own married wisdom to the young duck. **

**Wisely he waited until Morgana had gone upstairs taking the objecting Gosalyn with her for her bath and another dose of potion and swiftly he said, "Drakeroni…I've been happily married to Binkie for twenty years now come this Sunday, and I am going to tell you a couple of things. Now these are things that you probably don't want to hear and I understand that. Why when I was your age I thought married guys were crazy, letting a woman boss them around and all. But I'll tell you something Spud, a well run house truly becomes a home with a good wife in charge. And from what Binkums and I can see, you've got yourself a good one there, so let her take care of you and the rest of the family too."**

**Slapping Launchpad solidly on the shoulder and shifting Drake's chair slightly with the force of his enthusiasm as he nudged Drake; Herb took his leave. He could hear Morgana coming down the stairs and it was time he took the RV back to the rental place. **

**Grinning Herb added, "Besides, she'll have her hands plenty full with the little mischief upstairs and there's no need to make it harder on her or you. She loves you Drake and her every instinct is to take care of you just like yours is to provide for, and protect her and Gosalyn. That's how it is for two good and decent people who love each other. Launchpad, I'll hook your We-Haul up to our car and drive it back to the lot for you. I have a feeling that you are going to have your hands full here."**

**Drake didn't know quite what to say to this wisdom from suburbia but before he could do more than open his beak, Herb heard Morgana coming in and made a surprisingly swift dash for the back door. Morgana swept into the kitchen just as Herb made good on his escape and Eek fluttered calmly to land on Launchpad's flight cap while she moved to the Dutch oven and pulled it back out of the stove.**

**Filling Launchpad's plate again she asked, "It's not too spicy or anything is it Launchpad? I really don't mind you're being honest, I want to adjust this recipe so everyone can enjoy it."**

**Launchpad now had his beak full again but he managed to shake his head as he swallowed the forkful and drank some of the fruit punch from his glass.**

**Satisfied that he was well on his way to being both full and healed she turned her attention entirely to Drake, "What about you Honey-Wumpus?"**

**She waited patiently (for her) while he cleared his mouth of the forkful she had just fed him and he answered cautiously, "It really IS pretty good Morg, but…." He flinched a little and glanced at her before continuing swiftly, "I really will keep from scratching I promise…can't I please take off the oven mitts?" **

**Morgana looked at him and them smiled mischievously before saying, "I'll look over your rash after you finish what's on your plate Drake. Besides, I rather like doing this for you. IF the scratches have healed enough for an ointment to keep out infection I'll let you keep the mitts off until you go to bed."**

**He started to perk up until he realized she meant to put him back in the oven mitts, but she cut him off with a serious look upstairs, "While you sleep, you'll scratch trust me on this Drake. Besides, you need to set a good example for Gosalyn; she doesn't want to wear her mitts either. And IF she gets an infection with all the areas of rash she has it'll be very serious." **

**As far as Drake was concerned, that decided the issue. What was left of his pride DID have him glance warningly at Launchpad to make sure he wasn't enjoying this too much. But LP was made of sterner stuff than most would think, He calmly ignored the sight of his best bud and boss being hand fed by his girlfriend while Squeek purred delightedly from his perch on Drake's shoulder; and finished off fourths and fifths of the casserole before heading out to the garage to see about storing the camping gear. **

**Late that afternoon Drake kissed Morgana and insisted with dramatic flourishes of his arms and hands, "We have been gone for DAYS Morg. Criminals have run rampant while we've been gone I JUST know it! Just watch Gos for me while we do a quick patrol. I promise we'll be very careful. Look! I haven't touched my arms since lunch." **

**He held up an arm that was now just covered in a pink flush under his plumes and managed not to pull back when she pulled him close and carefully smoothed a pale ointment under the feathers and said, "Alright My Dark Hero of the Night."**

**She kissed him with enough passion to make his feet leave the ground and took Squeek from Drake's shoulder. She continued warningly, "Be careful and DON'T scratch, Gos and I will be waiting for you when you return. Be careful Launchpad."**

**Turning around she intercepted Gosalyn who was just waking from a nap. The stress of the rash and the magically enhanced medication had combined to make her very sleepy but she heard the chairs spin and had raced downstairs hoping to go along with her Dad on patrol. Needless to say she was very disappointed to realize she was being left behind, and with a babysitter too! Even if it WAS Morgana, that WAS a bit much…after all she WAS ten now and she knew how to take care of herself.**

**Morgana was no bodies fool and she recognized Gosalyn's frustration. But instead of saying anything about her frown or her attitude, as she flounced over to the couch; Morgana simply sat in Launchpad's chair and waited for Gosalyn's curiosity to get the better of her.**

**Sure enough in just a few short minutes, Morgana heard a very soft voice say," Geez, they always treat me like a baby! I AM ten years old and I can take care of myself! But…I am glad you're here anyway. Can we play some neat magical game while Dad's gone Morgana PLEASE?"**

**Smiling to herself as she noticed that Gosalyn was just like she had been as a girl and careful NOT to show any amusement Morgana offered, "I DID ask your father about sharing my knowledge with you Gosalyn and he DOES understand, but…without your own familiar spirit there isn't a lot you can do by yourself."**

**Smiling at the miserable duckling she offered, "Squeek LOVES it when you cuddle with him, and with his help I think we should be able to watch your father and Launchpad for a bit." **

**Perking up considerably at this Gosalyn leaped up to hug Morgana saying excitedly, "Really? Thanks Morgana, Thanks Squeek!" **

**Reaching eagerly for the tiny bat shaped spirit she carefully cuddled him under her bill giggling as his soft fur tickled her sensitive lower jaw. Squeek for his part was nearly bowled over by the energy and enthusiasm the young duckling exuded as she held him; but his physical injuries were now his worst ones. **

**His energy channels were still very sensitive and his mental barriers were very thin but since Gosalyn was Normal born he was able to handle himself and the warm free flowing energy from her core DID seem to speed his healing, even more than the steady flow of warmth he got from Drake or the gentle radiance Launchpad put out. So Squeek braced himself and handled the currents of fiery energy from Gosalyn with the same experience he used to handle Morgana's surges of temper.**

**Granted Morgana's seemed to manifest as lightning and pure arcane bolts of POWER instead of the near suffocating flow of fast moving lava that the duckling held in her core but…not being actively connected to Gosalyn meant that his view was filtered and so he ignored the subterranean flow and chirped cheerfully as he clung to the child's purple basketball jersey. **

**Eagerly Gosalyn ran up the stairs with Squeek bouncing and clinging to her shirt, and soon returned with her snow globe. It was a fairly large globe with what looked like a realistic replica of the Audubon Bay suspension bridge, about six inches or so in diameter and wound around it's base was a sparkling twist of Spell Chain that matched her bracelet and Morgana's necklace. Setting it on the end table Gosalyn took several deep breaths as she tried to calm down. The globe always worked best when she concentrated and it might not find Dad at all if she was too excited.**

**---**

**Darkwing Duck, shadowy guardian of St. Canard was BACK in ACTION…except for some strange reason, there didn't seem to BE much action. Oh sure there was the usual traffic and deliveries of goods and supplies to businesses and even a small amount of pedestrian traffic. It was a little past six and people were still going about their work day or returning home after their shifts downtown so it wasn't like St. Canard was abandoned or anything. **

**However, DW HAD expected to at least see a gang or two as he rode through the projects, or even some of the corner fences cutting clandestine deals. But as far as criminal activity went, it was as if they had all taken vacation days or something. Ordinarily that would have been a warning signal to Darkwing's crime fighting instincts but…SOMEONE had been a very busy duck while Drake had been away and Dirk's master plan was well in motion.**

**---**

**After being gone since Friday night Darkwing had been certain there would be SOME evidence that the criminals of the city had taken advantage of his three day absence. This was Tuesday after all and he'd been gone since after the fireworks display Friday. But so far Darkwing had been disappointed; granted most criminals tended to operate under cover of darkness and after stores closed but STILL…. **

**DW was puzzled at the lack of evil doers to thwart, more than a bit concerned over the lack of anything to investigate, Darkwing turned to his faithful and loyal sidekick who was riding in the Ratcatcher's sidecar and looking with interest at some kind of flyer he'd caught as it blew past him at the last traffic light. **

**Surprised at Launchpad's interest in ordinary city litter DW asked, "Just what's so interesting LP?"**

**Launchpad waited until Darkwing was stopped at the next intersection before handing him the flyer. Darkwing read it and couldn't believe his eyes! Reading out loud in an incredulous voice DW said," Attention Citizens of St. Canard, Come to St. Canard Municipal Park for a free celebration of our Hometown Hero DARKWING DUCK! Woo! Hoo! Launchpad…, do you realize what this means!? I need to prep my dress costume for the media."**

**Launchpad started to say something in response but he was interrupted as Darkwing's bill dropped open and excitedly he began to point and bounce up and down on the seat of the Ratcatcher. Coming through the intersection was a city bus and emblazoned on the side was a full sized ad taking up the entire bus showing several of Darkwing's 8X10 color publicity shots and three of the newspaper black and white pictures from articles in the St. Canard Chronicle over the last year. **

**The caption read 'Free Food, Carnival Entertainment Booths! All the money raised by the game booths is to be given directly to the St. Canard Children's Home. Official Citywide holiday, Mayor Timothy Minya Jr. to award Special Certificate of thanks to St. Canard's own hometown Hero DARKWING DUCK! Come early for prizes and photo opportunity with Darkwing himself. Free autographs! Live music to be provided by the St. Canard symphony orchestra, with special guest performance by Penguin jazz trio. Appearances by singing sensations Heron Montana and the Jaynus Brothers. Event starts at Noon July 10th**** and continues until 8pm. Special thanks to the Playtime Emporium for donation of booth prizes and gift certificates.'**

**Amazed Darkwing and Launchpad stayed at the intersection until a loudly honking horn told them the light had changed and they were holding up traffic. Launchpad looked a little doubtful, after all…the last they knew; Mayor Minya was definitely NOT a fan of the masked mallard. His Honor the Mayor and police Chief Mathew Glover were actually two of the main reasons city hall generally had it in for DW. In fact, Bobby Beagle had 'accidentally' told them a couple of weeks ago that Minya had tried AGAIN to have warrant's issued in order to have Darkwing arrested on sight. **

**Fortunately for DW, Police Chief Glover had been unable to get a local judge to sign off on the warrants and the Federal authorities outright refused to hear his legal motions against the masked mallard anymore. DW and the Justice Ducks had been instrumental in saving the Senior Judge Advocate for the Air Force for this sector from one of Dr. Slug's schemes and he had been quietly effective in supporting S.H.U.S.H.'s policies. That being the case, the military lawyer had also lobbied extensively for protective Federal Jurisdiction to be granted and enforced for personnel in the HERO program and that had stymied the local persecution efforts as far as legal action went. **

**Even IF city hall had suddenly had some sort of change of heart, this was really suspicious as far as Launchpad was concerned. He started to say something to that effect but then decided to bide his time. This supposed 'citywide celebration' was right on the heels of the massive July 4****th**** event weekend Mayor Minya had staged to try and counteract the national embarrassment that St. Canard had suffered from with all the bad publicity the city had gotten in May of this year. **

**LP knew what the city's declared budget for the fiscal quarter was, since he tended to keep a sharp watch on the city council meetings and study the records and local law legislation. Such things were part of the public record…even if not that many people tended to look at them. For the city to suddenly schedule something like this…well it was sending up red flags all over Launchpad's mental landscape. **

**Even if they wanted to put on something like this for Gizmoduck and not Darkwing, it hadn't been in the budget…Launchpad wasn't sure where the money was being shifted from and even worse he KNEW deep in his generous heart that both Drake and Darkwing were getting sucked in by their egos and he hated it when Drake got hurt. **

**Tracking the local political climate wasn't something Launchpad found particularly interesting or anything, but Drake tended to spend more time studying computer programming, electronics, gadgets and the larger intelligence information picture than he did trying to keep up with the politics in city hall. That being the case Launchpad had taken it on himself to try and minimize Darkwing's clashes with the powers that be downtown. **

**The research Launchpad did, and the time he and Darkwing put into upgrading their equipment and weapons didn't even begin to take into account all the time and energy they spent studying and tracking criminals and trying to keep up with Gosalyn/ Quiverwing and Bolt… not to mention keeping their own skills sharp. With the addition of S.H.U.S.H. assignments, and the responsibility of the Justice Ducks, normally the local political scene was a bit of a blind spot for DW. **

**Particularly since he risked himself to make the city safer when he patrolled and made what he called his hero's arrests. Since Duckburg and the rest of the western hemisphere; or so it seemed' all embraced the mighty publicity machine/ charity supporter Gizmoduck so wholeheartedly; DW just couldn't understand why the citizens he tried so hard to protect didn't do the same for him; at least locally. In his less envious moments, Darkwing DID admit now that Gizmoduck was a hero the same as he was. **

**In some ways that only made his jealousy bite deeper though; since the two of them were basically ordinary ducks outside of their hero personas. If Fenton hadn't become such a good friend and Gizmoduck a devoted Justice Duck then honestly, Launchpad would have been even more concerned for their relationship than he was. But that was nether here nor there in this case…someone somewhere was using DW to draw people to the park on Thursday along with some fairly famous Jr. Pop stars and the whole thing sounded as fishy as the wacky mackerel tuna factory at the waterfront. But LP knew there was no sense in bringing up his suspicions just now. Once they got some more information, then he could sound his friend and boss out about his concerns. **

**Launchpad suppressed a wry grin as his thoughts circled while DW struggled to assimilate the passing ad and remember how to drive the Ratcatcher. Launchpad reflected with a grimace, that it wasn't likely for DW to develop a few concerns on his own… not if his ego took control. Granted it didn't happen often, but ever since Honker's tenth birthday party, DW DID occasionally overcome his tendency to think with his ego and when that happened he was very effective; but looking at the way his young friend's eyes were lighting up and seeing that he had carefully tucked the flyer into the flap of his jacket; LP wasn't going to hold his breath waiting for that to happen this time. If someone wanted to make a list of situations guaranteed to engage Darkwing's ego and disengage his brain then this would definitely be in the top five…and going up. **

**Launchpad sighed as they passed a pawn shop with a window full of television sets. Darkwing had screeched to a halt again and was staring avidly at the display. To Darkwing's delight and Launchpad's dismay, there appeared to be some kind of ad being broadcast for the event from the flyer and the bus. It even showed news footage of Darkwing delivering a sidecar full of criminals to the police station and shaking hands with a police officer. **

**The sound wasn't audible from the street, but for some reason, that particular scene looked odd. There WERE quite a few law enforcement personnel who were glad to see Darkwing and who cheered on his efforts, especially at street level, but Launchpad couldn't recall a time when DW had been so congenially congratulated by a desk sergeant for bringing him a load of paperwork. **

**Darkwing's arrests weren't legally binding since he was a private citizen as far as local law enforcement was concerned, but more often than not, the criminals he captured and left for the police were career lawbreakers. As such they usually had outstanding warrants on them; either that or they confessed to whatever crime Darkwing caught them involved in. The criminals usually did this to avoid getting dragged immediately back to the police station by the masked mallard and suffering the physical, mental and/or emotional trouble that Darkwing dished out to those he caught breaking the law or worse, endangering law enforcement personnel or the citizens of St. Canard. **

**IF by some chance a crook did get back on the street in an unusually expedient manner; and Darkwing caught them a second time, well…it wasn't pretty although it HAD been impressive. At least it had been from the vantage point of the sidecar, although the squad car that had stopped to pick up the crook, his partners and the truckload of stolen electronics that was the evidence against them, hadn't necessarily thought so since DW had spent nearly twenty minutes securing everything with Zany glue to make sure nothing would come loose without a lot of effort.**

**Usually this sort of confessional attitude meant a huge amount of extra work for the police in the form of legal briefs, paperwork and calls to lawyers and even judges. No one on the police force appreciated being bogged down with those sorts of technical details; especially not if it meant involving political higher ups. **

**That being the case, the footage in the TV ad just made Launchpad's feathers itch. He remembered all too well what it had been like back when he'd been Mr. McDee's pilot and they had run into trouble during one of his treasure hunting adventures, and Launchpad's well honed instinct for trouble was telling him in no uncertain terms to be on the alert. Sighing he started to say something to Darkwing again but before he could; an alert sounded on the police radio band. Darkwing snapped out of his dazed stupor stopped staring at the televisions in the window and rushed back onto the motorcycle making sure to put on his helmet as he went. **

**Speaking excitedly Darkwing said, "AH HA! See LP, I was right…the criminal element of society IS attempting nefarious misdeeds that require the intervention of the city's mysterious crime fighting team! If we hurry, we should be able to intercept those ne'er do wells and still be back home in time for your Pelican's Island marathon."**

**Launchpad laughed a little at this, Drake really DID try to be considerate in a lot of ways. Launchpad knew that old television reruns like pelican's island held very little appeal for his young friend; but once Drake knew one of his loved ones enjoyed something; it became important to him to make sure that they got the chance to enjoy it no matter what. **

**This need to provide for those he cared for was part of the motivation behind Drake's struggle to accept Morgana's cuisine back when he'd first met her and it was the reason he made sure to keep plenty of cooking ingredients in the house for Launchpad's cooking classes and cable for his old television shows.**

**Gosalyn's main hobbies were actually the most expensive since her chosen sports required special equipment and teammates. For the most part though the whole family benefited from her being such a dedicated athlete, between the four sports she excelled in; and the several she dabbled in, it did keep her in shape and occupied. It hadn't escaped Launchpad's notice about her effects on Drake either, he was much better emotionally when Gosalyn was safely occupied. His ego found a healthy outlet in cheering on her talents which made him less likely to let himself get out of control…. But it looked as though someone wanted to make sure Drake didn't escape that pitfall in his personality today. **

**As they raced to the scene of a break-in hoping to help the police patrol that had radioed for backup, Launchpad noticed a HUGE billboard plastered with an ad similar to the flyer and the bus. Fortunately, Darkwing WAS paying attention to his driving and didn't appear to see it in spite of its twenty foot height and forty foot length. The Ratcatcher squealed to a halt in front of the third national bank of St. Canard and they hopped off the motorcycle and prepared to enter the building. **

**Before they could do anything else though, the billboard shifted and displayed a different ad that showed Darkwing and Launchpad zooming along on the Ratcatcher as though on a patrol; and then shifted to a scene with the Fearsome Five tied up while Darkwing stood triumphantly over them and held his arms up in a gesture of victory before returning to the original ad. Launchpad paled a little as he saw the third part of the billboard swing into sight before disappearing as the triangular motorized surface shifted to display its other faces as it rotated. **

**Launchpad glanced worriedly at his friend and his heart sank a little as he saw an all too familiar mania in Darkwing's rapt gaze, and even worse, a distinct lack of brain activity evident in his reactions. Even though they had come here in order to apprehend some bank robbers and back up a police patrol; Darkwing was watching the billboard, not the bank and that was a really BAD sign. **

**Now ordinarily Darkwing MIGHT have spared a brain cell or two to figure out that all this media attention and advertising was very expensive and wondered where the money for this was coming from. He MIGHT also have spared a little grey matter to contemplate how out of character it was for him to be so prominently featured in the advertisements for something being put on by the city since Mayor Minya and the Chief of Police generally wanted nothing to do with the masked mallard unless it involved ensuring he was harassed as much as possible and preferably humiliated but…. **

**He might also have considered how unlikely it was that any advertisers would want to tick off the Fearsome Five by humiliating them in a HUGE public ad campaign. After all, Negaduck was notoriously vindictive and liked to make trouble for ordinary people….Especially if they were unlucky enough to come to his attention; and the ad showing Darkwing victorious over him was a real insult to the master criminal. **

**The other four criminals in the gang were less likely to react against the advertisers or the celebration on Thursday simply because they had their own agendas to pursue, none of which were particularly harmed by a little embarrassment…. For Negaduck though it was different; just the fact that they had dared to do something like this was bound to be seen as an insult either to him personally or worse to his reputation and he had just as big an ego as Darkwing so he was BOUND to be upset once word of this reached him. **

**Darkwing's ego was fast taking over his thinking though and so he failed to think the repercussions of the ad through as far as the other people in them were concerned. In fact, he nearly missed the threesome of ski mask clad robbers that rushed out of the front door of the bank as he stared at the billboard even though they ran right into him and Launchpad. Fortunately Launchpad managed to trip two of them into the third. They all fell and became tangled in Darkwing's cape and while Darkwing was wrestling them trying to free his accessory the police came out and all they saw was Darkwing wrapping them up in the cloth.**

**Thankfully they slapped the cuffs on the robbers and congratulated DW and LP on having been so helpful before taking the crooks away in their squad car just as the rest of the police and S.W.A.T. team pulled away to attend the next crisis in line. Also, one of the S.W.A.T. officers and a detective both grinned and shook Launchpad's hand before they left which came as a pleasant surprise to both of the crime fighters. **

**Temporarily stymied by this congenial attitude Launchpad suggested cautiously, "Golly DW, what do you suppose happened while we were at the campout? I mean, I watch TV all the time, you and Honkman are practically attached to the internet for news, but we didn't hear anything about any of this before we left. Even Herb's satellite TV didn't say anything about this that we know of…. Someone must have spent a fortune on all this advertising and promotions, but an event like this usually gets BIG media attention a lot sooner than a couple of days in advance. Don't you think it's kinda strange?"**

**Drake seemed to be ignoring Launchpad but passing a newspaper machine he stopped and paid for a paper. After looking inside and finding ads of all sizes in every section he glanced in…and even a full color pull out flyer tucked in with the comics with an ad geared to children, even HIS ego suffered a twinge of doubt about the timing of all this. Silently he handed the paper to Launchpad and zoomed to the main offices of the St. Canard Chronicle.**

**Sighing he took off his helmet and stepped to the back loading area where the trucks were loaded with copies of the daily editions for delivery all over the greater St. Canard area. Launchpad was more than a little concerned at this silent treatment and started to say something but DW smiled reassuringly at him and moved to talk to the old dog working security at the door of the loading dock. **

**Coming back over Darkwing said, "You are probably right LP…someone want's to be absolutely sure I am at the Municipal Park on Thursday and I have no idea why. Charley said that this whole thing started yesterday, St. Canard woke up and suddenly this party in the park staring me and a pack of teen idols was front page news…."**

**Getting back on the Ratcatcher he started back towards the bridge absently waving and smiling as people pointed and waved. **

**Darkwing continued, "Every TV and radio station from Duckburg to Mousetown and everywhere in between has been playing ads. And papers from Waterville to Spoonerville have been calling the editors here demanding details for their editions. We'd better get home and check on Gos and Morg and then I need to do some research in the lair."**

**Launchpad grinned and said, "Sure thing DW I'll help all I can."**

**Darkwing smiled at his sidekick and added slyly, "I was hoping you'd say that LP; I need to iron my good cape and decide how much to tell Gosalyn before we head back to the house too."**

**Launchpad laughed good naturedly at this…he figured given how much Gosalyn liked watching cartoons and such she would be bursting with questions once she saw one of the TV spots. And no matter HOW much DW fought against it, Launchpad already knew that even IF Drake somehow forced Gosalyn to stay home; it wouldn't last. Quiverwing Quack would show up if Gosalyn didn't…besides Morgana wasn't likely to stay away either, not unless Drake somehow convinced the girls to stay together and away from the park. But LP didn't bother to say any of this now; he just relaxed in the seat of the sidecar and waited to get to the lair.**

**---**

**In St. Canard tower, a different sort of research project was going on…. This penthouse suite wasn't really the most secure hideout for St. Canard's public enemy number one, but what it lacked in secrecy it made up for in convenience. Dirk Mallard A.K.A. Negaduck had already taken care of his cohort Bushroot…he'd be safe enough and occupied for at least the next few weeks but Quackerjack and Liquidator were much more worrisome for the mallard of menace. **

**The Mage born had done everything they could to help Quackerjack and Liquidator recover from their possession by that rooster back in mid May; S.H.U.S.H. had even shown the judge testimony and had the Fearsome Five's sentences vastly reduced since they had all worked together to bring down that mass killer and save Morgana and Darkwing. But for those two the damage was still painful and tender…unfortunately Dirk had no idea how to really help them either. **

**The best idea he had been able to come up with was to take Licky and Quackerjack with him to help find Megavolt. A change of scene and a new populace to terrorize MIGHT shake them out of their depression; at least that was the theory. With this in mind, Dirk was monitoring the media frenzy he had created with part of his attention. He grinned as he scanned the news feeds and saw one of the ads featuring him being dragged into S.H.U.S.H. custody by his brother. That ad by itself was SURE to give Drake's ego control over his brain at least until Thursday. **

**The rest of his awareness was scanning the information from traffic cameras and police and emergency bands trying to pick up a lead on one of his other minions; while watching to see if good old predictable Darkwing had gotten back in town yet…. Negaduck snorted to himself as he admitted he MIGHT have gone to all this trouble and expense for nothing. **

**It would be just like that caped clown to waste all this money and effort by staying gone all week. But even then Darkwing's missing the party in the park and his chance to showboat for the media would rankle him for months and so would the poor publicity he'd get by being a no show at a big fund raiser for the city orphanage. An almost familiar feral smile flitted across Dirk's beak as he reflected on his plans a bit more. Either way it worked out this week in regards to his brother, there was an up side for Dirk Mallard and Negaduck too. **

**In fact if Negaduck could have arranged for S.H.U.S.H. to need Darkwing somewhere else he might have, as much as Dirk hated to admit it…Drake was actually fairly capable as a super spy type operative. Having good old predictable Hero type Drake stay gone entirely while Negaduck stole the experimental materials from the lab on Thursday was his main objective after all. **

**This sort of stuff was highly unusual and it wouldn't do to muck around and mess himself up; no…it was FAR smarter to steal the inventor AND the experimental enhancements and get instructions BEFORE trying to use it. And with Darkwing busy along with most of St. Canard's finest at the fund raiser the odds of anyone interfering with HIS agenda were pretty low. Negaduck's grin widened as he saw his twin screech his motorbike to a halt and stare at a set of TV's on display in a pawn shop window to watch the ad for the big event Thursday. No doubt about it; all the money and time he'd invested WAS going to pay off now that Darkwing had seen the ads. **

**His brother had the Mage born to back him now, and that was fine….Dirk was going to put HIS faith in science, technology and the kind of backup a reliable gun could give him. Having people able to mess around inside his head just WASN'T going to happen again anytime soon, not as far as Dirk Mallard was concerned anyway. Just as he was turning his monitoring system to focus on the area near The Old Haunt to check for signs of Quackerjack or Licky; a faint sound caught his attention. **

**Carefully pretending he hadn't noticed anything Negaduck watched the monitors and in reality watched the reflections from the screens as SOMEONE behind his desk did a better than usual job of breaking into his penthouse and snuck into the bedroom. The faint sound of the skylight in the bar being re attached to its frame and the shadow of the intruder slipping into the bedroom doorway had been his only clues.**

**Impressed in spite of himself Negaduck waited to see if the intruder was going to come back out but after about five minutes he decided not to waste any more daylight in a pointless cat and mouse game and spun his chair to face the bedroom door; drawing one of his holdout guns as he did. To his surprise, as he crept over to the doorway a distinctly familiar and VERY feminine voice said, "We could fire at each other handsome, but I'd rather you use something else to subdue me with. If I wanted to hurt your sweet feathered body I'd have shot you from the roof."**

**For just a split second Dirk's bill dropped open as he saw Muscovy Duck point her gun barrel at the floor and step carefully into view. She was wearing her usual form fitting black bodysuit with the high cut thighs and deep V neckline and as he watched her tunic style cape dropped behind the doorway to cushion her gun as she set it down. **

**Her usual tall black designer boots with the red soles were missing, and the sight of her dainty webbed feet and toes sinking into the light grey bedroom carpet was almost mesmerizing; especially since her slender bare neck was fairly screaming to be preened and caressed. Shaking himself out of the spell his body was throwing over him, Dirk managed to maintain just enough presence of mind to activate his alarm system and check the emergency exit tell tales before lowering his own gun and following her through the doorway into the bedroom.**

**Shutting the door behind him with a growl he demanded, "What kind of stunt IS this? I COULD have killed you when you moved into the bedroom you know…. I told you I'd find you after I finished working. I'm going to have to teach you to listen aren't I?"**

**Her answer was a gasp as he pulled her close and began to roughly preen and nibble her feathers before tossing her onto the bed. Pulling off his yellow double breasted jacket and dropping his red fedora at the foot of the bed he got down to the kind of business that didn't leave either of them any breath for words. **

**She didn't offer more than token resistance as he kissed her again and all her feathers fluffed in response, but she did manage to whisper in his ear, "I'll listen to you, but…I can't stay away…. Please…. " **

**She hissed a little as he used the flat of his hand to spank her several times and then proceeded to show her just who was in charge this time.**

**---**

**In the Old Haunt, Quackerjack was quietly drinking root beer from his frosted mug. For some reason though, the bubbly beverage just wasn't doing him any good today. Usually the bubbles would burst in his nares and make him giggle maniacally and IF anyone was dumb enough to comment on his beverage of choice it gave Quackerjack an excuse to vent any frustration on them with his axe welding dolly or the flamethrower teddy or even his exploding panda…. But today it just wasn't happening.**

**Disgusted with himself for feeling so down, Quackerjack looked up from his brooding to see the free flowing form of the Liquidator slosh unsteadily into the room. **

**His usual doglike form WAS easier for him to maintain again and the weird gel stuff that Darkwing had used to incapacitate the liquid villain back in May HAD chemically bonded to the poisons and potions Lafayette had used on him. Removing the gel had left Bud Flood more himself than he'd been since his watery transformation to the Liquidator. **

**Unfortunately this wasn't always a good thing since Bud Flood had different needs and tons more insecurities than the nearly unstoppable Liquidator. Quackerjack sighed as he recognized the signs of the inclusion of large amounts of alcohol in Licky's form due to his lack of control. Liquidator dripped and sloshed his way over to the corner of the bar where Quackerjack was sitting and tried to perch on a barstool. **

**Liquidator misjudged the amount of surface tension he had in his rear and sloshed onto the floor through the stool before swirling back upright and glaring at the other patrons of the bar. People quietly ignored this and moved away from that corner of the bar as Quackerjack caught Liquidator's attention.**

**Speaking calmly Quackerjack offered, "How about some club soda to thin out the alcohol you are having to control?" **

**Liquidator glared blearily at Quackerjack and then nodded reluctantly before admitting, "I can't get drunk enough to forget my troubles anyway so I might as well try it. " **

**Bruce, the usual bartender had already readied Quackerjack's next round and hurriedly offered a large tumbler of seltzer water to the watery form beside him before backing off to discretely polish the bar. His assistant Jerry was only too happy to leave the truly unpredictable and dangerous mutants to Bruce and made sure to keep the rest of the bar happy and away from the twosome.**

**Bruce knew that Negaduck had made arrangements to cover damages from his gang and even set up a bar tab account with the owner of the Haunt. This was in case Quackerjack tried to pay with Real Estate Tycoon money again or Megavolt tried to use coupons or took all the light bulbs in a fit of mania; so it would be best if he handled them. **

**Even stoned and pissed none of Negaduck's gang would mess with Bruce. He handled Negaduck's personal stash of liquor and was an important information conduit for both sides of the law. He and to a lesser extent, Jerry had the personal protection of most of the crime bosses in the St. Canard area as well as the protection and blind eye of the law. **

**The Old Haunt was unofficially tolerated as neutral ground for both local and federal law enforcement and everyone turned a blind eye when really out of character stuff happened here. The only other place in the criminal underground that even came close to the level of safety and privacy that this bar had was The Velvet Rope and THAT was an entirely different sort of establishment.**

**Bruce sighed to himself as he waited to see if his two customers were going to need him anymore, when he'd mustered out of S.H.U.S.H. training under the guise of being medically incapacitated and agreed to go undercover here five years ago, he hadn't realized just how delicate a balancing act he was going to have to perform. Much less just how much he was going to be handling on his own….Fortunately he and Jerry knew how to get the word to the right people and together they tended to keep a lid on most of the powder keg that was St. Canard's career criminal population, most of the time anyway.**

**Quackerjack was really acting out of character for him and Bruce decided to take a chance, very softly and discreetly he said, "Michael…have you been to Velvet's in the last little bit?"**

**Quackerjack's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed at the use of his civilian name. Bruce swiftly added, "I heard from Louis and Clark that Velvet has been asking about you."**

**At the mention of the bouncers from The Velvet Rope, Quackerjack froze them slowly he shook his head and said quietly, "I haven't been to Velvet's in almost a month. Every time we have a few days downtime, something has come up."**

**Toying absently with his drink he added quietly, "That's an idea though…I could use some personal playtime."**

**Ignoring Liquidator's sloshing as he drank the seltzer, Quackerjack finished off his glass of root beer and searched his person for some money. Putting a bright tan colored rectangle on the bar that sure enough was play money from a game of Real Estate Tycoon, he stood up. **

**Quackerjack nodded to his buddy in crime and said, "I'm off for a bit. Be careful and look me up if you need me." **

**Ignoring the rest of the bar and Bruce, Quackerjack walked calmly outside and used his remote control to summon his rubber ducky shaped car. In spite of it's unorthodox looks it was actually street legal since it boasted all the required safety equipment and signals and when people saw it they generally got out of Quackerjack's way which he considered a design bonus. **

**Of course the fact that the ducky-mobile sported an entirely illegal and highly unorthodox arsenal of weaponry that could be unleashed on other motorists and the nearby environment had quite a bit to do with that as well. Quackerjack mused to himself as he got into his custom built car, Velvet's wasn't really that far from here, but if he was going to relax there; then he had a few preparations to make first. The Ducky-mobile gave a loud HONK and sped away without and further incidents; causing most of the bar patrons to relax slightly until Liquidator fell through his barstool again.**

**---**

_Here is the next bit, In this one I am setting up a foursome of villain plots…. One will have Liquidator and some Original Characters, one will be Quackerjack and possibly Bushroot and one with Negaduck and his search for Megavolt the fourth will involve several of my Original Characters and the identity of the mystery villain causing trouble for the criminal elements of society will be revealed. These stories will likely take place simultaneously and be during the Hero plot I am building for directly after this called Trials and Tribulations. I hope people will stick with me and be patient as I post these. I AM finishing Hexes and Vexes as soon as I can and I should post chapter 25 of that one soon so PLEASE do check it out if you can. Thank you to Wende and Jeremy and all my wonderful reviewers._


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: All the characters from Disney belong to them and the others belong to me. However, I am using Disney's characters without permission and for no money at all. Please do read and review since feedback is all I get thank you Irual. Also I wish to extend thanks to Scyphi for her generosity and prompt replies. Thank you very much._

_---_

**Ludwig Von Drake sighed to himself as he gazed out the window of the laboratory he was using while he was in St. Canard. He had to admit it…if only to himself, these presentations were going to get him into more trouble than he could get out of someday. Ludwig chuckled as he recalled his last speaking engagement at the House of Mouse. His experimental prototype example of Santa's sleigh had been a HUGE hit in more ways than one since he'd crashed the crazy thing into the attic of the club while attempting to demonstrate several of the functions he had built into it.**

**Fortunately Mickey had managed to smooth over the legal problems from the head legal elf at the North Pole as well as handling the insurance claims for the club. Since all his work was fully subsidized by a combination of McDuck Enterprises research grants and Government contracts Ludwig had received a visit from some general and the air force advocate for the west coast as well as several calls from his good friend Gyro Gearloose but it had all worked out equitably.**

**His next demonstration at the club was going to have to be a strictly none machine powered affair in order to fulfill the terms of the settlement…oh well he'd come up with SOMETHING for Mickey. After all, the test materials he was developing right now had a lot of potential for almost any audience IF they panned out. **

**Ludwig grimaced as he reluctantly admitted that the potential in these experimental projects was far more military than his usual kinds of ideas; which come to think of it was how he had ended up coming here. Some of the military that oversaw his funding had come by a few weeks ago and been favorably impressed with these two projects which was why the general had requested that Von Drake bring samples to St. Canard to show one Dr. Sarah Bellum; chief research scientist for S.H.U.S.H.'s main branch among other titles. **

**Ludwig actually had a lot of respect for Dr. Bellum and they often corresponded but they seldom had the chance to collaborate face to face. Her secret work for S.H.U.S.H. wasn't usually open for discussion and his work was too high profile for Sarah to risk being too closely involved up front. **

**It was risky bringing his prototype bio-enhancement nanites to the St. Canard area; this was why he's only brought a small sample of each of them with him. There were a lot of criminals around who would LOVE to have the kind of advantages the nanites would give a person. Fortunately, the tiny mechanisms were nowhere near ready for use. **

**There was too much unknown as far as side effects for them to be injected into a complex living host without further testing. The nanites could absorb kinetic energy and an electrical impulse could release the charge but…the sonic weakness was unexpected, not to mention the technical problems that were likely from trying to balance the nutrient input with the energy output but; once he got those worked out the potential was staggering…especially if he could figure a way to make them easily removable so there wasn't so much chance of causing a chemical rejection of the person's kidneys and other organs if they were injected into the bloodstream.**

**Ludwig had had an idea though; he had read about the electrically charged villain Megavolt and reading his dossier had sparked the idea to try and blend the nanites with his newest project but he hadn't a clue how to do so yet. The cloth he was developing was a much more universal idea than injecting the nanites, although without the warmth and constant electrical field inherent in a host the nanites wouldn't activate properly. There was also the problem of the self repairing circuitry; he had NO idea how that would incorporate in a complex host much less in a non living medium.**

**Ludwig was suddenly caught up in a vision where his nanites were being used to help move large amounts of rubble in cave-ins and police used the forces in the nanites to save hostages and protect themselves. He smiled to himself before turning his thoughts completely to the other sample he had brought from his secure lab in Spoonerville. **

**The camouflage cloth on the other hand was something he could show off with pride. It would blend in with almost any background and it was capable of holding almost any shape once it was properly molded all he had to do now was find the right sorts of reinforcement to use and it would make excellent next generation armor to protect soldiers and policemen. **

**Of course that held true for criminals too which was why Ludwig had tried to insist on extra security but for some strange reason, the mayor of St. Canard had commandeered every warm body he could to chaperone some kind of charity fund raiser for the St. Canard children's home. The military wouldn't arrive until tomorrow afternoon since he'd taken an earlier flight than he'd originally wanted to but S.H.U.S.H. had sent a quartet of agents to stay in the building tonight so there was no real reason to worry.**

**Whistling a cheery tune Von Drake made sure the canisters of nanites were secured in the safe and that the compact bolt of camouflage cloth was on the shelf under the nanites before locking the lab and going to dinner. Tomorrow was Thursday and the entire city was turning out for that charity celebration in the park so he should have plenty of time to ready things for tomorrow afternoon's demonstrations before the general, his staff and Doctor Bellum arrived.**

**Ludwig Von Drake was a gentle person and his genius was shrouded in a cheerful maniac personality that was totally at odds with military or criminal thought processes so he didn't even think to look around as he left the building. It had been locked and no one was visible so it didn't even occur to the professor to be wary. **

**He got into his car (powered by his own experimental alternative fuel of course) and drove back to his hotel for dinner never even seeing the shadowed figure that watched him go. To be fair, most people wouldn't have seen anything out of the ordinary even if they HAD been looking since the mysterious watcher was black feathered and hid her features in a veil and head cloth that obscured her face. **

**She was dressed in a muted black closefitting outfit that would make her blend into shadowed places and was careful not to move until the eccentric inventor was well gone. Moving swiftly she started to disable the security on one of the windows of his lab but a sudden noise made her swing over to a tree and hide hoping the thin line from her rooftop wench would go unnoticed in the dim light from the streetlamps. There was that sound again, it was a powerful low pitched growling motor and it WAS headed this way. **

**She waited calmly in the tree as a distinctive yellow and black motorcycle came into view and a short mallard in a color coordinated jacket and cape with a red shirt underneath the jacket got off the powerful machine and looked the building over. The raven was nobodies fool and she had learned the hard way to listen to her instincts and what they were gibbering to her now said this fairly harmless looking bird was far more deadly than he appeared in spite of the fact he was dressed to match his motorcycle.**

**She waited while the mallard replaced his black helmet with a large red slouch hat that hid his face in its shadow but not before she saw he was wearing a black half mask over his eyes to obscure his identity. Suddenly realizing why her instincts had been nagging her she watched as the fairly infamous Negaduck began to move around the building. **

**Fortunately for her he went around the building starting with the opposite side from her perch which gave her time to free herself from the dangling line and drop quietly from the tree. She was more than a bit shocked to realize that Negaduck was so flamboyant and seemed to be able to ride around on such a distinctive machine without getting dragged off to jail on sight but that was beside the point. If he was going to break into Von Drake's lab then most likely he would find her wench and that was BAD but darn it all! She hadn't come all this way to do a fast fade without at least trying to get her prize.**

**Moving carefully away from the building she waited to see if the other criminal was going to find her line but to her surprise Negaduck didn't come around to this side of the building nor did her seem to have gone to the roof where her wench was anchored. Instead, in a very short time; a muted light shone from the lab and unable to restrain her curiosity she shimmied back up the tree and used her grappling pole to grab her wench line back to clip onto her sky harness. **

**She knew better than to trust her weight to it completely though. IF Negaduck HAD found it he might have sabotaged the line…. So she used her finger tips and toe claws to grip the bricks and cling to the wall so she could peek cautiously in and observe Negaduck at his work. The Mallard appeared to have made short work of both the building's security system and the safe and was pulling two canisters each the size of a large water bottle out of the bottom of the safe as she watched.**

**Frustrated since those were most likely the bio-enhancement nanites she had wanted to steal, the raven snarled softly and to her shock Negaduck paused in his riffling of the safe's paper files and glanced toward the window as he tucked the files and a small plastic case in the flap of his jacket. Moving swiftly she went up and over the edge of the roof and made it just as the masked mallard got to the window. **

**Inside, Negaduck scowled to himself as he glared at the dark parking lot. The streetlights left pools of bright light at regular intervals all along the road. This campus was well traveled and as he gazed out the window he could see one of the university's security cars coming down the street. Cursing at the fact that either his timing was off or the fools in the car were early, Negaduck hurriedly wrapped the canisters in the cloth he had found and stuffed the bundle in his carryall that was strapped to his back under his cape. The bulletproof material of his cape should keep anything from penetrating the ceramic lined canisters and that would have to do. He needed to get out of here before those rent-a-cops decided to earn their donuts. **

**Moving swiftly he mounted his motorcycle and drove off just as the security patrol began to check the building. The raven sneered at those clueless wonders before hurrying after the duck that had HER nanites. (at least she thought he did) granted, she didn't know that for certain, but…it seemed likely, besides if it turned out that they were still here, there would be time enough to get them after the campus security went away. **

**Negaduck WAS paying attention and he DID recall the noise he had heard outside of the lab but he was on a tight timetable and didn't want to take any chances on getting tangled up in Von Drake's military connections. He HAD originally planned on snatching these little beauties tomorrow afternoon until he'd discovered that the military was planning on being here then. **

**At least the party in the park WAS keeping the local security focused on downtown and his do-gooder brother hadn't gotten wind of anything else yet as far as he knew. Those four S.H.U.S.H. agent's he'd gassed inside the lab building would be out for hours and since he'd hidden them in an air conditioned cubby hole of a storage closet and made sure to tie them up they wouldn't be sending any signals to their bosses any time soon; not until he sent the relays to Drake. Those agents were his backup plan to distract Darkwing just in case he needed to throw him off the trail. By the time they were discovered he'd be done with this phase of the plan but it never hurt to have an extra backup, especially since the rest of the five were so…distracted. **

**The Spell Chain at his throat gave a warning tingle as Negaduck drove along and instinctively Dirk glanced in his rear view mirrors but since he didn't see anything unusual he continued on thinking as he went. Negaduck knew he wouldn't have much trouble getting around a few soldiers if he had waited until tomorrow, but he wanted this kept quiet and the military was notoriously paranoid and tenacious. **

**That was one of the reasons he tended to let other criminals like F.O.W.L. mess with military interests but this was too tempting to pass on. Especially since Von Drake hadn't actually announced the nanites OR given them to the government yet. He wasn't going to risk doing anything with them until after he and the taller bird had a chat though.**

**With this in mind he zoomed along on his motorcycle and soon came to the hotel that had reserved a room for Ludwig Von Drake. Internet spy ware was a WONDERFUL thing. Chuckling to himself he moved confidently on to the next item on his agenda, not realizing there were actually several people watching him from different vantage points as he arrived at his destination.**

**From her observation post in the office building across from the hotel a figure that would be all too familiar to Negaduck was watching him with a pair of high intensity night vision glasses. Muscovy Duck was dressed in what was now her usual working attire. Her black bodysuit and red cape showed off her figure and her expensive designer boots made no sound as she carefully adjusted her stance to be sure she didn't show up as a suspicious silhouette in the window. **

**Muscovy was doing one of the periodic sweeps of her field of vision that would (hopefully) warn her of any complications to her clandestine spying when her eyes narrowed and her calm was replaced by fury. Someone was following HER mallard! Ignoring the reason for her fury, AND the fact that Negaduck would most likely object vigorously to being claimed by anyone…especially a woman. Muscovy readied her weapons and moved swiftly for the service elevator to find a better vantage point. The tiny trackers she had hidden in Negaduck's various clothes were working perfectly. Their rendezvous at Canard Tower had been the third stop when she had planted her little telltales. **

**Muscovy knew that he would discover them sooner or later, but hopefully by then she'd have proven just how useful she was and she could explain herself so he wouldn't actually hurt her. Anna sighed and admitted something else; she would take whatever punishment he wanted as long as he let her stay…. IF her plan went right, she would reveal those little trackers to him herself and he would think she was clever; not nosy but either way it was too late to worry about it now. That strange shadow outside the hotel was lurking on the roof across from the fire escape and was MUCH to close to Negaduck for her comfort.**

**---**

**As Negaduck pulled up to the hotel and parked his bike in the alleyway he made sure to stay out of sight of the patrol car that was making it's way down the block and the police passed him without incident. He did have the feeling he was being watched though and it made him wary. Climbing the fire escape he made his way to the roof before using his internet connection on his phone to double check the room reservation he'd hacked. **

**His Spell Chain hummed and he KNEW its spells were trying to do SOMETHING but since he was working he doubted it was something he would be able to figure out. He looked around carefully but even with his keen eyesight he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. **

**Dirk shivered as his feathers fluffed a little from the energy that surrounded him. Feeling a little more uneasy, he almost reached into one of the pockets of his jacket for the tiny flip up mirror Morgana had given him but then he exerted self control and ignored the impulse, whatever it was that was making the Chain react would just have to wait.**

**Peering cautiously in the glass, he cut a hole in the balcony doors after setting a feedback loop in the lens of the security camera. Expertly, Negaduck unlocked the sliding door and stepped into the room. The security bar that normally kept the door from sliding was easy enough to snag with one of his catch all hooks and once the metal bar was out of the door track there was nothing stopping St. Canard's number one criminal from doing as he pleased. Ludwig came out of the bathroom and froze as he realized he was not alone and then the older bird paled as he recognized his visitor.**

**Ludwig stuttered in his old world accent, "Wha…what can the professor do for you?"**

**Negaduck was pleased that the relatively sheltered academic had recognized who he was and his ego made him relax a smidge and smirk as Ludwig flinched and stepped back instinctively trying to put distance between himself and the masked intruder. Moving smoothly across the room Negaduck stopped just in front of the professor and casually began twirling his version of a gas gun in one hand. Granted, using his twin's trademark weapon WAS a bit of a downer…but there was always the chance that it would confuse investigators later. Besides, the professor was definitely WAY below his usual standards as far as victims went. **

**IF the eccentric inventor knew what was good for him, he was going to be very useful so using a regular gun would be too messy and taking care of the evidence would take far longer than he wanted IF things got out of hand. Little did Negaduck realize that things were going to get very messy anyway and his bid to acquire some new technology to up his arsenal and options was going to have quite a few more repercussions than he'd expected too. **

**Outside the other shadowed figure that had been following Negaduck perched just above Von Drake's floor on the fire escape and balanced there taking in the tableau of the mallard and the taller bird facing off through the balcony doors. The curtain that would have obscured the view hadn't been pulled across the balcony and the clear glass wasn't cloudy with condensation since it was tempered and coated but around the hole Negaduck had cut, small beads of moisture began to form as the cooler air from inside the room reacted to the sultry July heat coming in.**

**Professor Von Drake swallowed hard as he stared nervously at his unwelcome visitor. Negaduck's eyes turned cold and calm as he spoke, "Fortunately there IS something you can do for me. You ARE smart enough to know who I am RIGHT?"**

**Von Drake nodded nervously and started to say "Nega…."**

**But the other bird interrupted him abruptly, "yeah, I figured as much…well, this way we can skip the formalities and get right down to business."**

**Moving forward and pinning the professor against the wall Negaduck slid his other hand under his cape and removed one of the canisters. Showing Ludwig the canister he demanded, "Tell me everything about these and I MIGHT feel generous enough to let you go."**

**Ludwig was no fool, he instantly recognized the canister and without thinking he sputtered, "You stole from the professor! How could you STEAL those? They are dangerous and they can't even be USEFUL to you…there are too many side effects! Injecting them in a living person is too risky!"**

**Dirk sighed and started to lose his patience with Ludwig, Negaduck's eyes turned hard and cold and he started to put more pressure on Von Drake's chest to get him focused on the real issue; keeping HIM happy. But suddenly the two birds were staggered into the coffee table as Negaduck felt a sharp impact hit his head and another the middle of his back. He saw stars as he fell to the floor, knocked out instantly. **

**Dirk dropped the canister he had been holding in his right hand and only his instinctive need to remain armed kept his fingers clenching the grip of his gas gun in his left as his now limp body hit the carpet. Dirk's Spell Chain flared to life as he fell and the healing spell inherent in it acted to minimize the damage to his brain and repair things as swiftly as possible without compromising his health or the other spells that were now active. **

**The physical shield that had kept his skull from breaking when the bullet had hit it channeled the duck's energy into a sight veil which made seeing him unlikely for an attacker. Ordinarily Dirk's Chain would have been unable to hide him this way, but with it's wearer unconscious, under attack and injured the Chain was taking no unnecessary chances, especially since the mallard's life energy was being channeled while he was unconscious and his body naturally wanted to repair itself. Unfortunately for Dirk though, the Chain had almost no energy to work with in comparison to a Mage-born person so other than keeping it's wearer veiled while he was unconscious and speeding his healing to minimize his injury, there wasn't a lot the chain could do.**

**Ludwig was thrown forward as Negaduck crumpled to the floor and to his utter shock a raven body type Avian swooped into the room holding what was clearly a custom firearm trained on the floor in front of him. The distinctive tinkle and crash of the shattered glass balcony doors was muted by the carpet of the hotel room and the fact that most of the glass from the break in was spread throughout the intruder's plumage as well as having scattered all across the floor. A few shards had even hit Negaduck's face but there were only a few superficial cuts across his broad cheeks, nothing near his eyes and since the duck was already unconscious he didn't react at all to this fresh indignity. **

**She swept the room with her eyes and kept her gun at the ready sweeping the barrel back and forth clearly expecting some sort of reprisal for her actions. Her eyes were wide and as she searched the floor her breathing quickened slightly. Ludwig thought at first that this female was some sort of security person and that she had attacked Negaduck in order to help him but her words soon shattered that illusion. **

**The professor gulped as he realized that Negaduck was bleeding on the floor and apparently he wasn't the only one since this raven woman had several wet areas on her clothes and a vicious slash on her lower forearm that was still leaking in spite of the pressure hold she was using to staunch the wound. The canister that Negaduck dropped had rolled past the coffee table and her sharp eyesight spotted it although Ludwig WAS surprised that she didn't seem to see the mallard sprawled beside the table on the carpet.**

**Her voice was a harsh caw as she scooped up the canister and demanded, "Tell me how these work or die."**

**Ludwig was to say the least very upset and he stuttered, "But, the professor, he can't…."**

**He shuddered as the raven's pitiless beady black eyes pierced his confusion and he stepped back against the couch as she wrenched open the canister and the tiny nanites spilled all over her hand. To his horror some of the little things spilled onto her wounds and many more disappeared into her plumage while still more spilled onto the floor and a very few even fell onto the unconscious masked duck lying beside Ludwig's position just in front of the couch of the living room suite. Ludwig gasped and ignored the gun as he tried to pull the half empty canister from her but it was already too late. The Nanites were in her bloodstream now and they would be almost impossible to remove without serious maybe even fatal complications.**

**Negaduck meanwhile was feeling quite woozy, but fortunately for him he had remained silent as he had regained consciousness. Negaduck KNEW something had struck him and he could hear Ludwig's panicked stuttering as he said something about getting someone medical help and trying to fix something but his instincts told him that that there was a very good reason to play possum and pretend he wasn't awake and listening so he made sure to hold still and pretend to be unconscious while whoever had ambushed him and Ludwig Von Drake argued. **

**In spite of his growing fury, Dirk wasn't stupid and didn't allow his emotions to get the better of him. There would be time for bloody screaming vengeance later; right now he needed to figure out what was going on and how to escape from here. He cautiously cracked an eyelid open and felt many tiny things sliding across his face. **

**Sternly stifling the urge to brush the annoying bits away and holding still, Negs assessed his injuries and sighed to himself. One thing was certain; he wouldn't get far until the ringing in his ears stopped and the dizzy spots in front of his eyes faded. He could feel the Chain around his neck tingling and buzzing like an angry hive of wasps and suddenly the annoying things on his face slid under his red turtleneck and disappeared.**

**Ludwig stumbled into Negaduck's prone body as he tried to get through to the raven that had absorbed almost half of the kinetic nanites and for the first time she seemed to focus on the mallard she had shot from outside the room. Her beak opened in a fierce expression as she shoved Von Drake back onto the couch. While he fumbled with the lid to the canister of nanites, desperate to keep the rest from falling into the carpet or onto the duck on the floor since he had open wounds; she allowed herself a cruel chuckle. **

**Von Drake shivered as he heard her mutter, "I can't believe it was this easy, his reputation MUST have been exaggerated. Maybe those ads weren't as far fetched as the rumors said, I just might off that idiot Darkwing and complete my set of trophies before I report back." **

**A cold, hungry look came into her eyes that even professor Von Drake could see as she contemplated the body at her feet. She felt a little dizzy and tired but since she was slightly injured from where she had broken the sliding glass doors she put this down to blood loss. A surge of excitement filled her with new energy as she realized again what she had done. **

**She smiled in a way that was most unpleasant as she wiped absently at the cut on her arm. To her surprise it looked as though there was some kind of dark faintly shiny bandage on it. Curious now she felt the other places where she knew glass had cut her from her break in. To her surprise she could no longer feel herself bleeding, but at this moment that was just a great side benefit. She had killed Negaduck! This was going to help her agenda enormously. But she was going to need proof in order to use this to her advantage. **

**The raven reached as though to remove Negaduck's mask and tossed a tiny camera at the frightened professor saying, "I am going to need proof that I killed him and YOU are going to help me. After I get my trophy I want you to take some pictures of me with his body. After I am finished with him you can call the cops to take what's left to the morgue. I'll be long gone before they get here. And as a celebratory gesture I'm even going to let you stay in one piece…."**

**A cold angry voice interrupted from the ruined balcony, "I don't think so you filthy scavenger."**

**The raven spun around to stare at the furious, costumed lady duck who was stalking into the room from the balcony holding a very large handgun trained on her. **

**This masked female continued in a voice that promised worse than death, "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"**

**Gesturing with her gun Muscovy forced the raven back away from the Professor and Negaduck. After taking the raven's weapon, she held the other bird at gunpoint before glancing at the now badly shaking Professor Von Drake and the mallard on the floor. Before anything else could happen, Professor Von Drake carefully fumbled his way off the couch and knelt beside Negaduck to brush the remaining loose nanites off his face but to Ludwig's surprise there didn't appear to be any on him.**

**Muttering to himself Ludwig worried, "I can't take the chance…he won't survive the side affects alone on the run from the law. I WON'T take a life especially not by accident. I'm sure if he had the chance to listen to the Professor…he's too smart not to understand." **

**The small cuts on Negaduck's face were still bleeding freely so it was unlikely there were any nanites contaminating him and for that Ludwig was grateful…there was going to be enough trouble trying to fix one contaminated victim much less trying to hold Negaduck for testing. From his place beside Negaduck Ludwig felt what was most likely the other canister somewhere under the masked duck's cape so he started to fumble under the cape until a strong grip on his wrist stopped him. **

**Ludwig swallowed fearfully as the rough gravely voice of Negaduck said almost conversationally, "I'm not that kind of duck. Not on the first date anyway…." **

**Negaduck's icy blue eyes held Von Drake quiet and stilled his mutterings, all of which Dirk HAD heard… but there was bound to be notice of all this sooner or later and Negaduck didn't want to waste anymore time. Muscovy, it turned out was a welcome surprise but this was spiraling out of control and it was time to put his own spin on things and beat a hasty retreat.**

**Besides Muscovy had some explaining to do once he got her somewhere private. Still keeping a wary eye on the raven he stared at Muscovy for a few seconds before he grudgingly added turning back to Ludwig and getting to his feet, "there's only one duck here who gets to feel me up Prof and you are definitely the wrong gender for the job." **

**Carefully reaching under his cape for the other container he hissed in annoyance as a shard of ceramic cut his finger. Pulling out the now broken flask he growled in distaste as he realized that the container was very nearly empty only about an inch or so of metallic particles were in the bottom of the bottle and the top was what had sliced his finger. **

**Dirk dropped the bottom of the bottle on the coffee table as Von Drake grabbed his hand and forced more blood to come out of the wound as he literally dragged the criminal to the large sink in the bathroom and washed both his hands thoroughly. To both Negaduck and Muscovy's surprise Von Drake was nearly frantic and continued anxiously to try and instruct Negaduck while he had the chance. **

**Ludwig knew the raven woman was sure to feel the side effects of the nanites she had absorbed soon and it would be easy to catch a disoriented, mineral deprived, hallucinating raven. But Negaduck was known to disappear for months before exerting control over the city's criminal population again. It was one of the reasons Negaduck was so feared and respected. **

**Von Drake HAD gotten a small dossier on the active major players and the reasons why they were a threat. Unfortunately the information he'd gotten hadn't helped him avoid this but Ludwig knew that this was most likely his only chance to get through to Negaduck and he was determined to make the most of it. His inventions WEREN'T going to take a life not even a criminal's. **

**Still babbling about complications and determinedly telling Negaduck about being sure to take vitamin and mineral supplements and to find the professor if he felt at all different since he knew that St. canard's public enemy number one wasn't going to stay around and be captured; Ludwig finally ran down and began to shake again as he realized that he's just manhandled a dangerous armed criminal. Muscovy felt her beak tremble on the verge of an unintentional spate of giggles at the looks the two males faces before snapping all her attention back to her prisoner. **

**She hadn't meant to become distracted, but knowing that Negaduck wasn't dead AND his implication about her had made her listen to the conversation between the Professor and her mallard and the complications Von Drake was worried about sounded serious. Taking advantage of Muscovy's distraction the other bird leaped to attack Muscovy since Negaduck's gas gun was still on the floor beside them. **

**Sneering contemptuously the black feathered bird hissed, "There must be something in the water around here that makes every two-bit, white feathered, idiot run around wearing a costume to commit crimes! You are no match for me rookie."**

**The raven was clearly a well trained hand to hand fighter but so was Muscovy and Negaduck dashed over to the struggling women and pulled his favorite handgun from its place in his jacket just as Muscovy managed to knock the raven off her feet.**

**Snarling he demanded. "What name do you want on your tombstone meat?"**

**Just then the door burst in and a pair of S.H.U.S.H. agents attempted to apprehend the various criminals in the room with the help of two of the hotel security guards.**

**Taking advantage of this the raven ran for the balcony and tossed her working title over her shoulder before disappearing into the night as the wail of police sirens drew louder and closer. "Just remember I'm the one who is taking over this city, you are just fortunate to live to see the dawn you has-been. Soon the whole city will know of Black Secret."**

**Snarling in frustration as he realized that Muscovy was still a little disoriented from the tussle since the raven had connected a vicious shot to her solar plexus and more than a bit grateful to realize he actually felt MUCH better than he had a right to expect. **

**Negaduck fired several shots at the invading minions of the law, making sure to miss and sneered. "Black Secret! HA! Talk about overcompensation! I'll bet her real name is Eunice Pond-scum or something. At least NOW I have a name to go with her face, I'll take care of her soon enough."**

**Helping Muscovy to the balcony as she grabbed his gas gun off the floor and firing another shot into the door jam to keep the security people down and in the S.H.U.S.H. agent's way Dirk nodded once to the professor and offered, "No hard feelings Prof, I won't forget what you tried to do for me and I'll keep what you said in mind. See you next crime losers!" **

**He sneered before leaping for the fire escape, pulling the gravity pin and riding the metal ladder down to his motorcycle as it extended to the street. He then zoomed away taking Muscovy with him before the police cars arriving realized what was going on.**

**---**

**Very early in the morning, in fact about an hour before dawn the scene in the master bedroom at Canard Tower was one of surprising tranquility. Dirk was reclining on his side of the bed and watching Anna sleep. After making sure nether one of them were hurt from tonight's little fiasco; he had spent a very vigorous couple of hours worming her little scheme out of her and making sure she understood HE was in charge as well as her telling him her first name. **

**After rewarding them both with some enthusiastic bed games that had left her trembling under him and exhausted before he'd tucked her into the sheets beside him. Dirk had finally calmed enough to think things through and he didn't like most of what he was thinking. His left hand absently stroked the short, soft, blonde hair on her head as he admitted something to himself that he had never wanted to happen. He was falling for her and he didn't know what to do about it.**

**Anna was going to have to be a lot more than just a sex partner if she was going to be in his life much and that was something he wasn't sure he could handle even if it was what she said she wanted. His beloved Cygnet had been sheltered and sweet and totally unsuited to the kinds of decisions and actions that were vital in the criminal underworld. And while Anna or Muscovy seemed to be capable enough, she didn't have enough experience or a hard enough reputation to stand on her own. Not yet anyway, and IF she became known as simply Negaduck's property that WOULD stop most smalltime operators, but ones like that raven tonight would try to use her against him….**

**He was going to have to figure out how much she could handle before the word got out that she was involved with him…. Suddenly he thought back to the earlier problem of his missing minion Megavolt and smiled. Unlike his usual expressions this one actually held real pleasure and his gentle stoking turned more demanding as he began to formulate the outlines of his plan.**

**She stirred in response and the languid look in her eyes was replaced with the spark of intelligence that he found so appealing as she asked, "What is it?"**

**His touch was still personal and gentle as he touched her bill before getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom. Without looking back he answered her, "I've decided to go after Megavolt and figure out what happened to him before I take care of that upstart raven. IF you want to be more than just fun then get your tail in gear and get dressed." **

**He paused as he heard the sheets rustle and turned to look at the bed and saw her still tangled in the sheets but already moving toward the bathroom.**

**Clearly she didn't want to chance being left behind. As they showered he spoke in a much harder tone than he had used after their lovemaking. **

**He was careful as he shampooed her hair but his eyes and tone were stern and businesslike as he told her, "I can't afford to coddle you, this job I'm going on will be your chance to prove your professionalism. You will have to pull your weight and prove yourself useful. We won't have time for distractions either…with that raven gunning for me; I can't be gone from St. Canard for too long. And until you establish yourself I can't afford the weakness of a publicly known personal relationship; and nether can you."**

**Muscovy's eyes turned suspiciously bright before she turned into the water spray and finished rinsing her plumage and her hair before stepping out of the shower. Dirk ruthlessly crushed the twinge in his heart at the thought of hurting her feelings. It was better that she understand this now and accept it. Dirk finished rinsing his own feathers while she dried off and dressed. He'd make it up to her soon but she was smart and she hadn't said anything against his speech so he decided to make them both breakfast before finishing the prep for his search and retrieval mission. **

**If she was going to be part of his life then she had to be able to accept and handle Negaduck's life too. She was going to have to accept that and so was he and that was a very unsettling thought.**

**---**

_Here is the next bit and as you can probably tell, this is setting up my Megavolt fic called Grounding Elmo and in the next chapter we discover just how much chaos Darkwing can take as he and Launchpad ( plus a few more ) end up spending the afternoon in the park along with a large portion of the population of St. Canard and many members of the media. _

_Can Darkwing control his ego? Will Gosalyn survive being more popular than her dad at TWO events (not just the comic book convention)? Or will Darkwing's head explode as it gets too big and his blood pressure rises? _

_And even more intriguing, what is happening with the villains and criminals of St. Canard? The answers to these and other questions will hopefully be forthcoming in upcoming chapters so please read and review people! _

_Speaking of reading you should all check out my friend and protégé Lady Mallard's stories. She has written two Darkwing Duck & Impossibles crossovers, one listed in the regular archive and the other in the brand spanking new crossover section of Darkwing Duck._

_Not many people seem to have discovered this section yet so go on and check her stuff out. She seems to be specializing in short chapters and really neat plots using Hanna Barbara's Impossibles and other characters. She has written 4 stories so far and is doing a bang up job. Go on and have some fun reading something new…even if you have never seen an Impossible cartoon the characters are fun. She and Erin T Aardvark have definitely made me a fan of different and unusual crossovers. _

_Okay climbing off my soapbox now go have fun everyone your friend Irual _


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: By now everyone knows who Disney made up and that I am playing with them for no money so please keep this in mind okay? Also since I am doing this as a way to stop the ducky's from nagging me so much and improve my writing, please give me feedback either in the form of reviews, or private messages, or e mails thanks very much Irual_

_---_

**It was Thursday morning and the bright sun already shining in the sky promised sweltering temperatures as the day progressed but Launchpad didn't notice. He was trying to finish his breakfast and the chaos in the kitchen made keeping his eggs and bacon safe a challenge worthy of any hero or sidekick especially this early in the morning.**

**Dodging Gosalyn was actually almost routine as she dashed back and forth in a high state of excitement but she and Drake were STILL negotiating about their entrance and as they got more and more involved with each other they paid less and less attention to the rest of the room. This meant it was up to Launchpad to make sure they both ate breakfast and were ready to leave the lair just before noon.**

**Ordinarily of course, Darkwing would have just gulped coffee and maybe some toast and been already been headed to the tower, what with his emotions running so high. But Morgana had been taking a more active interest in what they ate; and she had gotten Drake to eat more regular meals instead of skipping and supplementing his diet with ration bars and junk. Morgana had been persistent and persuasive as she continued her campaign to get Drake to take better care of himself since her Honey Wompus' sense of propriety and her own lingering exhaustion meant that she couldn't take care of them full time yet. This being the case, Drake had agreed with LP's earlier suggestion and made breakfast for everyone while trying to decide the best way to make their big entrance at the fundraiser. **

**LP managed to hold his plate and glass of orange juice up out of the way as the now highly excited Gosalyn dove energetically into her chair at the breakfast table causing most of the dishes to jiggle and shake. Her own glass of O.J. suffered a near disaster that Drake averted by catching the teetering glass. He gave Gos a stern look and innocently she began shoveling scrambled eggs into her beak as fast as she could and still chew.**

**The front doorbell went off and Launchpad's instincts said that it wasn't safe to let his guard down just yet so he stayed at the counter soaking his egg yolks up with his toast while Drake rushed to the refrigerator and put his plate of eggs on the shelf before turning excitedly toward the living room. Launchpad reached a hand to the toaster and snagged two other pieces of toast and without saying anything to Drake, he quickly made an egg sandwich out of Drake's eggs and put the dishes in the dishwasher. **

**Handing Gosalyn her dad's sandwich as she gulped her orange juice Launchpad said with a grin, "Here Gos, give this to your dad before he uses the spinning chairs to go to the lair. I'm sure Binkie made breakfast for everyone at their house, but I'll make the little Honkman a snack and juice in case he was too excited to eat much at home." **

**Gosalyn grinned as she rushed after her dad and answered, "Sure Launchpad, after all; Quiverwing and Bolt are going to need to be on their game. Dad is sure to need us once we get to the park. Morgana and you can keep an eye on Dad and we'll keep an eye out for trouble."**

**Launchpad grinned again and made a mental note to mention Gosalyn's plan to DW once they were on the way to the park. Launchpad was actually kind of glad that DW wanted to use the Thunderquack for their arrival. The Ratcatcher wasn't originally designed to carry four people comfortably and motorcycles weren't necessarily the safest transports around. So whenever the kids were secured in the sidecar or when Gos rode behind DW, LP worried almost as much as Drake even with their helmets and the safety straps. Besides, the jet would be able to make the trip in about ten minutes and given their usual timing, they were most likely going to need to hurry to keep from being late.**

**Honker Muddlefoot came into the kitchen with Gosalyn just as the sound of the spinning chairs in the living room let Launchpad know that Drake was on his way to the tower to ready their equipment and costumes. Gosalyn was chattering away at her best friend and Jr. sidekick, but even though Honker was undisturbed by her enthusiasm he was definitely upset about something. **

**Launchpad raised an eyebrow at the twosome and asked with a grin as he finished a quick clean up of the kitchen. "Hey Gos, did you catch DW?"**

**Gosalyn giggled and nodded as she admitted, "No worries Launchpad, I was just telling Honk how we have been eating more sit down meals and stuff. I gave Dad the sandwich you made him and he took a bite before he left…. But you know how Dad gets when he's distracted. I don't think he'll know he ate by the time we get to the park."**

**Honker nodded along as Gosalyn dragged him to the kitchen table. Without saying anything, Launchpad offered the duckling a wet cloth to wipe his shirt off. Being well trained in manners Honker looked attentively at Launchpad as the pilot continued easily, "I know your Mom made you breakfast Honkman, but I made you an egg sandwich and some juice to hold us over until lunch."**

**Gratefully Honker accepted this second breakfast and admitted, "Thank's Launchpad, Tank is really cranky about Mom and Dad's anniversary this Sunday and he dumped my oatmeal on me before I could get away. I'm really glad Mom said I could go to the fundraiser with you guys."**

**Gosalyn looked sympathetic as Honker's expression turned very worried and sad and trying to cheer him up she offered, "I'll go get you a clean shirt Honker and once we get to the park, Tank won't be able to mess with Bolt even IF we see him."**

**In all honesty, Honker didn't look that cheered up by Gosalyn's logic, such as it was. But after shrugging on a clean shirt and finishing the eggs and juice he was almost normal as he accompanied Launchpad and Gosalyn to the tower lair.**

**---**

**Wednesday night Drake had been pacing around the lair as he tried to decide if his best cape needed ironing and another starching when Gosalyn and Morgana had used the spinning blue recliners to come to the bridge hideout. As soon as the chairs had deposited them at their destination, Gos had raced madly to her father and began excitedly informing them of the party in the park and working on Darkwing to ensure that she, Honker and Morgana would be there with him and Launchpad. **

**After having spent almost two hours last night trying to figure out a way to keep the kids and Morgana from attending the city sponsored charity event today at the St. Canard Memorial Park in case it was a trap of some kind; Drake had actually reconciled himself to disaster rather than waste any more time trying to dodge fates whim; so he had been expecting her onslaught. Even so, he had tried to convince the ladies that it would be best to admire him from the safety of the lair or Morgana's house, but that had sounded lame even to Launchpad. **

**Part of Drake had actually wanted to have Gosalyn and Morgana attend the event since he was being featured so prominently and his ego was very eager to show off for them and his legions of adoring fans but…. The circumstances of this event were rather fishy and Drake's instincts were warring against each other which was why he had been having this internal debate. These same suspicious circumstances also contributed to his almost total failure to convince any of his loved ones to do things his way.**

**If it WAS a trap, Drake wanted to keep the children and Morgana safe; but he knew Morgana could take care of herself. She was much better now and Morgana had agreed to keep an eye on Gosalyn and Honker just in case. Besides, Morg DID have a point about being included in the heroic side of his life more than just once in a while. Drake had also reluctantly decided to allow Quiverwing to attend as his apprentice since Quiverwing's costume would give Gosalyn a lot more protection and options if she needed them. That was when she had included Honker as her sidekick Bolt and Drake had given up the fight deciding instead to concentrate on the fundraiser itself. So he had spent just over an hour and a half tracing the media frenzy and the ads trying to track down the money behind this but he had come up against a stone wall that he'd need more time to break through.**

**Drake was very concerned about Morgana's being exposed to the media as well, if something went bad he didn't want anyone to broadcast something to give the wrong impression of her or the Mage-born. Morgana understood his concerns including Launchpad's cautious hints about the possibility of this being some kind of negative set up or trap. Morgana planned on just being a successful business woman who was contributing to the orphanage fundraiser and IF something happened she was planning on being subtle; especially since she and her familiars knew they weren't fully recovered from the grievous torture they had endured at the hands of Lafayette Plasimeaux back in May of this year.**

**Morgana was having her kitchen staff whip up a trailer truckload of goodies from the Shadow Chateau to feed people and get positive publicity for the restaurant since she would be donating free food. Being a tax paying business woman gave her a certain right to be interested in civic events after all. This philanthropic plan also gave her the chance to offer a monetary contribution to the orphanage and keep an eye on her loved ones without people noticing.**

**She silenced any other objections by kissing Drake demurely on top of his head feathers and then added with a gentle smile, " the more Normal's who try Monster food the more paying customers her business would get, and people expected her to uphold the restaurant's reputation and ambiance now anyway."**

**Dazed by her presence and delivery, Drake had rallied but acquiesced when Morgana had also pointed out that since Gosalyn had been kept in the St. Canard orphanage before Dark had recovered enough to claim her; it was only right for her to participate in this event as well, even though only a trusted few knew about that. That statement combined with the warning look on Morgana's face had decided Darkwing and he and Quiverwing had gone into full negotiation mode to work out the details.**

**Morgana had gone ahead to her restaurant to make sure the goodies would be ready by eleven am so she could meet them at the park by noon. She was going to have Granny and Uncle Nero hand out the samples and she needed to set up the displays and make sure there would be no problems with the organizers of the event so she figured on needing the extra hour before the Hero(s) and Launchpad arrived to get everything ready.**

**---**

**In the nearby city of Duckburg, Fenton Crackshell was absently toying with his lunch at the kitchen table when M'ma spoke irritably from the couch, "FENTON, something's wrong with my new digital TV. I can't tune in any of my shows! The only thing on is this stupid news report." **

**Hurrying into the living room Fenton saw that the newscast in question was in fact about that charity event being hosted in St. Canard. The 'party in the park' was to benefit the St. Canard Children's home and had been THE news story for the past three days. **

**Gizmoduck and Fenton now received separate compensation from S.H.U.S.H. since Darkwing had named his team and Fenton was glad to be able to budget in cable for M'ma and his monthly expenses were much easier so he had also managed this set for M'ma's birthday. But she was still getting used to all the choices so misunderstandings weren't unusual. **

**Glancing at the live video Fenton smiled as he saw Morgana Macabre being interviewed since she had evidently brought an entire portable version of her restaurant and set it up to give away free samples of her food. She WAS charismatic and beautiful in an admittedly different way than most females; and certainly no match for Gandra, but Fenton could see why Drake was so totally smitten with her.**

**The thought of his Gandra made Fenton more than a little uncomfortable though and not for his usual reasons. Drake's example at the campground had prompted Fenton to have a VERY quiet talk with his beloved and she had been remarkably calm about his 'secret'. **

**Fenton didn't think Gandra had reacted badly at all, except that she'd asked him for a couple of days to think things over and she hadn't called him or contacted him since then. Granted finding out that your boyfriend led a double life and was actually the internationally known hero Gizmoduck as well as a mild mannered accountant was something a girl didn't find out every day, but…surely it wouldn't hurt to leave a message on her phone today and see if she wanted to keep their date. Their reservations for dinner at the Aviary were for seven and he wanted to make sure Gandra remembered. **

**Nervously Fenton fingered the little ring box in his vest pocket. He'd taken to carrying it ever since he'd come back from the camping trip and told Gandra about everything; it was like a talisman for him and he prayed that when she called he would be able to ask her to become engaged but IF she had problems with Gizmoduck he was sunk.**

**Shoving that thought as far away as he could, he took the remote from M'ma and absently flipped through all the tri-state channels and sure enough the same 'special report' was on every network. Fenton WAS surprised that Gizmoduck hadn't been invited to appear but he was grateful too. **

**Darkwing DID live and work in St. Canard and it was only right that he get to do some of the less painful and dangerous things that Gizmoduck did once in a while. Besides even though no one knew Gosalyn had been adopted from the orphanage there, Fenton knew and having Darkwing the star attraction at an event to help the place that had taken care of her was far more appropriate than having Gizmoduck showboating. **

**It also meant that Fenton could try and talk to Gandra without having to worry about going to St. Canard and coming back in time for the dinner reservations and he meant to take full advantage of this…right after he placated M'ma. **

**Turning back to the couch with a smile Fenton offered, "Nothing's wrong with the TV M'ma. This charity event is happening now and goes on all afternoon, but once people arrive and stuff I'm sure your programs will be back on. Look its Heron Montana and the Jaynus Brothers! No wonder they are showing this as a live event."**

**M'ma wasn't impressed with teen aged pop stars and sneered as she shuffled to her bedroom. "Some event, they are interrupting the young and the featherless. I'm changing out of my fuzzy slippers and getting dressed."**

**Fenton WAS surprised at this since M'ma usually stayed in her curlers and bathrobe on laundry day but she patted his arm and added, "I love you, and I am very proud of you Fenton. Never doubt that, and I know it's selfish of me to try and keep you here with me; don't you worry about Gandra…she's a smart girl and she loves you almost as much as I do." **

**Fenton started to say something but M'ma had already disappeared into her bedroom. Just then his phone rang and his heart did flip flops as he answered it since the ring tone was the one Gyro had programmed for Gandra Dee.**

**Nervously he stuttered, "Hel...he…hello, Gandra?**

**Her gentle voice came over the line and said, "Fenton, are you alright? I was calling to make sure our dinner plans are still on for tonight, but if you aren't feeling well I can…."**

**Hurriedly getting a hold of himself, Fenton said in a much more confident tone, "No, No I'm fine really. I have been hoping you'd call all morning. Please Gandra; I really want to see you tonight."**

**Gandra's voice was warm and caring as she answered, Alright Fenton, do you want to meet at the Aviary?"**

**Encouraged by the affection in her voice Fenton agreed and shyly reminded her that their reservations were for seven pm. Gandra had replied with the breathless giggle that made him feel faint and in spite of his cautious side Fenton felt his hopes soar. Gandra had then admitted that her call had been to remind Fenton about their scheduled date since he tended to 'forget' so often. Of course NOW Gandra knew that it was actually his other job that had gotten in the way and that 'forgetting' had been his excuse to protect her from being used as a hostage to his secret but they were both careful not to say such things on the phone since hers wasn't a secure line. **

**Instead, Fenton managed to get a hold of himself and whisper a stuttered endearment to Gandra but before he could indulge in too much of that, M'ma came out of the bedroom dressed in her second best pink dress that set off her large blonde curls and said, "Let's go Fenton, I need to go to the shop & save mart and get the weeks groceries before the sale ends."**

**Hurriedly Fenton said goodbye to his lady and agreed to play taxi since M'ma was acting so conciliatory about his dinner plans with Gandra. He had a sudden thought that cheered him up and he hid a grin as he opened the car door for M'ma. He wouldn't be missing any of the events in St. Canard even though he wasn't getting to watch the live media coverage. **

**Darkwing was sure to test out all his new upgraded equipment at his lair by recording the entire afternoon's coverage and that meant that all his friends and colleagues would get a full accounting complete with edited video and a recap of all his fans and various deeds of daring do. But Fenton didn't mind, Wingy had had a difficult recovery from that whole weirdness in May. **

**Wingy and Morgana were almost back to normal as far as he knew now but…. From what Launchpad had hinted; it had been touch and go for quite a while and Fenton would gladly listen to Wingy's boasting and glory mongering for the next year or more. The alternative was too awful to contemplate; putting the image of Wingy as he had been after the fight firmly out of his mind Fenton went resolutely to take M'ma to the store. **

**---**

**Liquidator was very upset, usually there was plenty of opportunity for profit and he seldom had the chance to feel any sort of negative emotions about himself but…. Since he had been freed from the Dark Adept Lafayette's possession about a month ago, he had been trying to ignore the insidious feelings of inadequacy and fear that had plagued his days and haunted his nights. **

**Bud shuddered as he tried to block out the memories again and focus on just being the powerful villain Liquidator, but he had to admit that it wasn't as successful a ploy as he had hoped. His current hideout was situated in the south end of the inner business district of St. Canard near one of the show arenas. **

**It was a small space in one of the industrial access parks that he had rented under his identity of Bud Flood, who in spite being declared missing and presumed dead, still had excellent credit. Liquidator and Bud both found the blindness of the financial system both amusing and profitable but that wasn't helping him just now. **

**Stretching a little he sloshed and stood up. His current container was an oversized, old fashioned, claw footed metal tub that he had appropriated from one of the renovation companies that specialized in restoring and renovating old homes. **

**His liquid form was perfectly comfortable in nearly any container capable of holding his volume and of course he could fit into much smaller containers although that did make him feel uncomfortably compressed. However, since his encounter with the dark adept, and the subsequent treatments by the Mage-born and S.H.U.S.H.; he had discovered that using something like this tub made it easier to hold onto his thoughts and stay himself than if he just lay in a puddle or in a less sentient container like a mop bucket while he rested. **

**His office space had been rented unfurnished and ordinarily he would have left it so since Liquidator had little use for most furniture and none at all for electronics. As he recovered, Bud and Liquidator had actually debated and learned to compromise since his Bud identity had been what had pulled them through when they had rebelled against being possessed. So now he had some high end patio furniture and pool accessories installed in the office as well as a desk, filing cabinets and even a computer. **

**Since so much of modern business used the internet, Bud had discovered a temporary way to use a keyboard. He had covered the user interfaces with custom molded, clear, rubberized covers that were water tight and this protected them from shorting out or zapping him as long as he could hold his form. As a backup, Bud also wore rubber fitted gloves and the tower, printer and other peripherals were sealed in the desk to protect them while he sat there.**

**He kept the curtains closed and the doors locked though so the office was pretty dim even during the day. Deciding that the lack of natural light was contributing to his depression, Liquidator donned his disguise of a long belted trench coat, a wide brimmed, old fashioned men's fedora and sunglasses and slipped outside to look around. After all, it was vital to keep up with customer demands in order to properly market his talents and maximize his profits. **

**To his surprise, there were far fewer people around than he expected. There was less vehicle traffic too. Usually, there were plenty of potential customers but as he wandered the city he realized that he might as well be without his disguise since the few people he encountered were preoccupied and paid no attention to him; intent on hurrying on their errands. **

**He continued on, not actually paying much attention to where he was and soon he recognized the research center that Bushroot used as one of his main hideouts. Feeling his depression lighten some at the thought of socializing with Reggie, Bud moved eagerly to the greenhouse. To his annoyance, the doors were locked. **

**Liquidator also wanted to hang around with Bushy for a bit, so he took control and sank into the flowerbed beside the door and left his disguise hidden in the ferns. Slipping into the soil and brushing along the roots of the plants, Liquidator felt almost comforted as he gave a tiny amount of himself to the roots and received the feeling that Bushroot was in fact inside and his friend was distracted by something. **

**Bud shivered as the image reached him of Reginald moving around and alternating between gesturing to a stand of bamboo and using a small claw tool to loosen the dirt around some small perennials. Ever since the accident that had given him his new form, Bud had discovered that water could tell him a very great deal. As he had immersed himself more and more into his persona of the Liquidator he had learned to interpret some of the information in the earth as well since water, air and earth all worked together in the biosphere.**

**The images the plants were giving him was something that only happened when Reggie was very close though and only since May. Bud and Liquidator both would have been more than a little uncomfortable with this new development except that he and the plant/duck had been friends ever since they had met and they found the contact comforting. Surging through the soil, Liquidator gathered himself for one of his dramatic entrances and surged up just beside where Bushroot was working and talking to himself and his plants.**

**---**

**Reginald Bushroot glared with uncharacteristic irritation at his leafy friends as they waited for him to tend their soil. His aeration claw tool had seen better days, two of the metal tines were broken off short and the third tine wasn't doing its job properly since the tool was now off balance. Frustrated he threw down the tool just as a familiar damp area of the planting bed coalesced into a puddle and then stretched upwards to become the liquid form of his friend Bud Flood also now known as the Liquidator.**

**Bushroot was actually quite observant and he had spent a lot of time with Bud while the Mage-born and S.H.U.S.H. had worked to try and help Lafayette's victims. He had swiftly understood that Bud was trying to maintain both his status as Liquidator, loyal member of the Fearsome Five; and his old identity of Bud Flood, successful business man and private citizen. **

**Unlike most other people, Reggie was fine with this and he found getting along with both of them was actually easy for him since both of them were his friends. He WAS cautious though, until he knew which identity was in charge, his friend was likely to take offence if they were upset with each other and someone referred to the wrong identity. Rationally Reginald knew that Bud's identities weren't necessarily a good thing long term but he figured that since the water dog was already unique; having two identities wasn't that bad as long as the two of them got along and he didn't develop any more.**

**Bud took charge since nether of them were working and spoke as cheerfully as he could, "Hello Reggie."**

**Taking his cue from the ordinary sentence and the calm softer tone Reggie guessed that Bud was in charge at the moment and answered, "Hi Bud. What brings you to the greenhouse?" **

**Bud leaned nonchalantly against the nearest handy clump of bamboo, ignoring Spike who was shuffling around the Bamboo looking a little like an anxious puppy and offered, "Well, I was thinking that we ought to make the most of our downtime since Negaduck hasn't popped up with anything urgent for us to do…."**

**Understandingly Bushroot nodded and offered, "True enough, Say…I have a great idea." **

**He gestured to the abandoned claw tool and said, "I need some new tools and the St. Canard Flower and Garden Expo starts tomorrow. They are already set up but because of that party in the park, the expo organizers delayed the opening until that dippy do-gooder is done showboating, so I thought we might do a little early shopping."**

**Surprised at the dissatisfied note in Bushroot's voice Bud commented, "Well, well I didn't realize you harbored such a dislike of Darkwing. Admittedly he IS a pompous nit, and he DOES cramp our style as super powered super villains, but…"**

**Bud's voice shifted slightly as Liquidator came online and added, "Act now for pre-opening prices on all your landscaping needs. Results guaranteed when Bushroot is accompanied by the Liquidator. And for a limited time get a city wide distraction guaranteed to keep caped and masked vigilantes completely occupied along with most of the minions of the law. As an added bonus there will be huge crowds of innocent citizens to keep our enemies busy."**

**At Liquidator's wide smile and dramatic gestures Bushroot shrugged uncomfortably, a little embarrassed and admitted, "Well it's not really him, not this time. After all, I may have been forced into a life of crime to support myself and my plant friends, but I am not heartless, that party in the park is a fund raiser for the orphanage downtown. They have needed new landscaping for almost two years as well as a new roof and don't even get me started on the condition of the play areas."**

**Thoroughly caught off guard by this detailed list of priorities and completely curious Bud HAD to ask. "If it's not Dipwing, and you are in favor of the fundraiser for someone other than us; then what is it that has upset you? And how in the world do you know those kinds of details about the orphanage?" **

**Bushroot started towards the door and Bud followed along to hear the answer. With a little shrug Bushroot said, "Well, several of the orphanage buildings have climbing ivy on them and the roses and hedges are actually very gossipy so…."**

**Strangling a laugh Bud interjected, "Say no more Reggie, I should know by now how extensive your plant network can get. I take it you were scouting the area for a caper and got caught up in the local flora?"**

**Bushroot's face took on a distinctly magenta hue as he sheepishly admitted, "Actually I was harvesting some of the pollen from the roses and rosehips for tea. For a while there was a really rambunctious kid with red pigtails that roamed the orphanage grounds and I missed several blooms of those rose bushes. They are heirloom tea roses and were donated when the orphanage was rebuilt and I wanted to cross pollinate those blossoms with one of the hedge roses here in the park. And as for the tea, when that little terror was incarcerated in the orphanage, I didn't dare try and get anything from the main lawn so I went on the roof with the ivy and coaxed the vines to harvest them for me. That's when I got to chatting with most of the landscaping there and found out about the roof and the play areas."**

**Slipping out the side entrance Bushroot pulled on his flimsy scarf, large sunglasses, and long coat that actually matched Bud's in style but not materials. It was his light weight summer one made of linen which would make the heat marginally more bearable. Then he waited patiently while Bud retrieved his disguise and the unlikely duo went cautiously toward the convention center beside the municipal park. The crowds were enormous by now with Darkwing scheduled to make his big entrance just after the pop sensations Heron Montana and the Jaynus Brothers made their first appearances of the day and the villains figured on slipping past the harried security without any fuss since most of the city had been shut down while the fundraiser went on.**

**---**

**Excitedly Quiverwing and Bolt bounced in their safety harnesses as the Thunderquack dove over the cityscape of St. Canard acting as if they had large amounts of ants in their costumes. In the co-pilot's seat Darkwing Duck, caped and masked crime fighter and self proclaimed shadowy guardian of the metropolis of St. Canard was acting outwardly as calm as possible. As the jet approached the huge municipal park though, Launchpad KNEW his friend's battle to keep alert and thinking was doomed to utter and abject failure unless something happened to his team right in front of him.**

**The huge surging crowd in the park was mostly packed around the stage area that had been set up surrounded by food stands and carnival games and rides. Clearly visible were dozens of media crews and several smaller stages.**

**Surrounding a stage almost as large as the one currently being used by the threesome of Joe, Kevin and Nick Jaynus were literally dozens of citizens of different ages, sizes and different walks of life carrying banners and signs proclaiming their love for DARKWING DUCK! A second slightly smaller group of people were holding signs proclaiming GO Quiverwing! And Quiverwing Rocks! There was even one sign with a well drawn image of Arrow Kid which elicited squeaks of shock from Launchpad and Bolt and a Keen Gear! From Gosalyn. **

**A space just behind the stage had been kept clear of the crowd and Launchpad was almost unsurprised when his radio crackled to life and the voice of one of the air traffic controllers from S.H.U.S.H. told him that the landing circle painted on the grass had been reserved exclusively for the Thunderquack. Several news helicopters swarmed dangerously close and recklessly a camera crew even began filming trying to get footage through the canopy. **

**A police helicopter tried to force the news crews back and Darkwing snapped his beak shut and the glazed look on his face disappeared as he grabbed for the crash holds. Darkwing grinned and the familiar devil-may-care expression was a welcome sight to his sidekick. A spark that had been dimmed for far too long lit in his eyes as he saw the miniature version of the Shadow Chateau and he hustled to the Ratcatcher. **

**Quiverwing objected, "No fair Darkwing!"**

**His answering chuckle was accompanied by his trademark battle cry, "Come on Quiverwing…Let's get Dangerous LP. "**

**In response Launchpad grinned and opened the bill ramp of the Thunderquack and ejected the hero, apprentice and motorcycle from about fifty feet up and twisted the plane dramatically to spin away from another news helicopter. The crowd erupted in defining cheers at this and Launchpad found himself caught up in the excitement as he put the jet through a barrel roll before landing precisely in the center of the landing zone. Darkwing, Quiverwing and the Ratcatcher meanwhile, had ended up on the empty stage much to the crowds delight and the hero's relief. The duo replaced their safety helmets with their respective headgear as the Thunderquack's canopy popped open to allow Bolt and Launchpad to accompany the hero's onstage.**

**---**

_Here is the next exciting installment. I hope this keeps everyone's interest and that I can have the next part up soon. Please read and review and if anyone has any questions, suggestions or ideas just let me know. Your friend Irual_


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Disney owns all the characters, places and intellectual concepts they made up. I am borrowing them to tell my stories as a way to improve my writing skills and get the ducky greatness out of my head at long last. I have been a devoted Disney fan for almost all my life and a DWD fan since 1991 or _so. This being the case, I am writing these stories for LOVE and feedback NOT money. Please read, review & enjoy thank you. Irual_

**---**

**Morgana Macabre moved smoothly to the front of her restaurant display and offered a smile to the crowds that thronged the area. Most of the curious crowd didn't seem too wary of the display, in fact, many of the children and teens were downright attracted to it's unusual sights and sounds. She was pleased that most of the roving reporters had stopped for an interview and tried samples from the Chateau. Food critics and lifestyle reporters in particular seemed to be covering this event judging by the numbers of them she had granted brief statements to.**

**Fortunately her recent experiences with Dark had prepared her somewhat for this and she had had Eek and the Quackmoronicon make stacks of flyers about the restaurant to hand out to the crowds as well as a mini menu and a prepared set of responses that the staff could use to cover any awkwardness until she could handle things. Morgana smiled as she saw Darkwing's unique aircraft swoop to a dramatic landing just beside an empty stage just to the right of the main stage and only a short distance from the replica of the Shadow Chateau. **

**Squeek chirred eagerly and spoke to his mistress, '**_it will do no harm to admit to being a fan of Darkwing's it will give you a reason the Normals will understand to be near him and the children.'_

**Nodding to herself and gesturing to Uncle Nero and Granny; Morgana said, "Dark has just arrived and I want to watch him onstage before I make him some lunch. I'll be back in two shakes of a gryphon's tail; let me know if anything happens that needs my attention while I'm gone." **

**---**

**Just as the quartet of heroes stepped toward the front of the stage, they were met by none other than First Agent Grizzlikof who was dressed in a suit but NOT his usual S.H.U.S.H. agency garb. In fact for just a split second none of them realized who he really was. **

**He was dressed in a sharp, well tailored, very light grey ensemble that made him look very Hollywoodland including dress shoes, a narrow tie that coordinated with his bright green shirt, a Bluetooth wireless earpiece and a pair of expensive designer sunglasses. **

**He was acting the part of their personal assistant. The large brown bear bustled up to them and put wireless communicators on them all and while he fussed with the fit of the devices on the sidekicks he muttered instructions and his voice gave his disguise away.**

**Impressed with how well the bear was acting the part, Darkwing asked cautiously, "Griz? I never figured you to go all Hollywoodland, what's up?"**

**As he carefully fitted Quiverwing with her headset and pinned a tracking device under her collar the bear growled softly, "I hope your oversized ego has figured out that this is a setup Darkwing. We expected you to contact us sooner you know."**

**Grizzlikof lowered his voice even more as he tucked a tiny tracker in the cuff of Darkwing's teal shirt under his jacket, "Even with your flippant attitude and arrogance I didn't think you'd let your ego take control for so long."**

**Darkwing looked upset for a fraction of a second before he regained his composure and waved to some excited (and scantily clad) young females who had worked their way to the front of the crowd. **

**Hissing under his breath and making sure to look pleasant Darkwing admitted, "The thought HAD come up, but it wouldn't do to disappoint my fans by not showing up. And I DID try to check in Wednesday morning but the new tech had several glitches. Not that I have to prove it or anything, but when you have the time to step off your soapbox, you can check with Benji. I had to resort to calling Director Hooter directly on my cell to get secure open communication. From what little I could trace last night, someone had tampered with the lines from your end, probably with an outside source. GEEK was still freaking out as of an hour ago, someone had compromised all the HERO level protocols. If I didn't have Director Hooter's personal code, I couldn't have contacted any of you at all without going face to face."**

**Quiverwing jumped dramatically onto Launchpad's shoulders and waved to the now frenzied tweens who were pointing and chanting "QW, QW, QW!" Dozens of them were trying to reach the stage for autographs; but before they could a large group of stunning young females swept to the stage. **

**As Quiverwing and her father waved and smiled, greeting the crowd to entertain the fans; packing into the area around the stage Launchpad spoke quietly to Griz, "We came prepared to take care of business First Agent…." **

**Griz stopped the pilot with a loud, "Don't concern yourself, I have already been compensated for my services and you have nothing to worry about. If you need me just say Mr. Jenkins and I'll be on the line to see to any of your needs. With you going public like this Darkwing, our agency is fully prepared to help you make the most of this opportunity."**

**Darkwing stepped up and shook Grizzlikof's hand as the agent moved closer to Launchpad and Bolt to attach their trackers; looking as though he was thanking the bear. The caped and masked duck added very discretely, "Believe me or not JENKINS, but I would have shown up alone and let you think what you wanted; if LP and Morgana hadn't insisted on being here…. With LP to back me and Morg to help Quiverwing, and watch out for her and Bolt I figure both QW and the city will be safest here with us."**

**Grizzlikof's expression was unreadable behind his designer shades, but the bear nodded acknowledging what he said as Darkwing stepped back slightly. A white limo pulled up to the stage and disgorged Mayor Minya and his entourage of assistants and his security detail several of whom began setting up a podium for the mayor to use to give a speech. Mayor Minya smiled broadly and waved to the crowd but his expression was grim and unfriendly as he turned and faced Darkwing and his group. **

**Ignoring Grizzlikof, or Mr. Jenkins; as he introduced himself with a hearty handshake and a small folder with a prepared speech and several 'official' fact sheets; Mayor Minya said quietly, "I don't know how you arranged this you caped clown, but I don't dare sour this charity event. The savings from this will keep the city solvent for the summer quarter and the positive publicity has already translated into increased tourism. My office is even fielding calls asking for your appearance schedule which is ridiculous!"**

**Forcing a pleasant expression on his face, the mayor continued, "Since you actually showed up, the pledges the orphanage has received for an entirely new roof, plumbing upgrades and electrical work at ¼ the usual cost will be honored since there were only two stipulations put on the contracts." **

**Smiling so the camera's would pick up his being happily seen with the crime fighter, Mayor Minya continued, "One that you appear for this event and two, as long as I act all buddy, buddy with you and stop trying to have legal action taken against you unless you are convicted of committing crimes…the city's maintenance contracts will get an automatic twenty five percent discount for the next year and the rest of the contracts for the repair of the Audubon Bay Bridge will be paid in full."**

**Acting as if the bear was an inanimate object Mayor Minya ignored 'Mr. Jenkins' and continued to expound in a harsh whisper gesturing grandly to the park and all the accompanying hoopla, "All this was donated free of charge to the city orphans in YOUR name with a 1000 dollar a plate dinner planned at the Astoria Hotel to kick off the fundraising for the orphans educational needs. Mrs. Amelia Vanderpelt in particular has expressed an interest in meeting you." **

**Mayor Minya looked a little spooked as he added, "According to McDuck enterprises, Scrooge McDuck himself is actually going to appear at the fund raiser dinner this evening! I don't understand it, Scrooge wouldn't even return any of my office's calls and then suddenly his personal secretary calls and informs me that he wouldn't miss meeting you again. Something about your saving his bin with those Justice Ducks or something."**

**His eyes flicked over the rest of the group to rest briefly on Launchpad, Bolt and particularly on Quiverwing, before he admitted, "She's a positive shot in the arm for us publicity wise anyway. Heron Montana and the Janus Brother's all agreed to donate money and their services when someone leaked that she is your apprentice and all of them want autographs from you and your group particularly her so see to it she meets them. I'll let this 'publicist' of yours take you over to them after their next set."**

**He snorted before turning to face the crowd while shaking Darkwing's hand and leading him to the podium his assistant's set up while they had been talking. "Mrs. Vanderpelt's niece Isis Vanderchill will be at the dinner as well as most of the families from the society pages of St. Canard. We are going to do some publicity shots and then I am going to The Astoria Hotel and I expect you to show there too. There will be a lot of heavy political and charity contributors in the ballroom there starting at five tonight so don't screw this up. You may have friends I can't touch but if you mess with me I can make your life so bad you'll be moving to Duckburg in order to live outside of your mask and cape."**

**Turning to face his assistants, and Mr. Jenkins the Mayor added emphasizing Grizzlikof's cover identity, "I don't care what you have to do Jenkins, but if you and your 'agency' ever expect to have the cooperation of city government in this area again, you make sure my new best friend Darkwing here, makes all his fans happy AND shows up for the dinner party tonight." **

**His gaze widened to include the rest of the group and genially he added," and his little band of heroes too of course. St. Canard is going to follow in Duckburg's pioneering footsteps and embrace it's resident hero, at least until I can prove he's a crook."**

**Mayor Minya smiled waving to the crowds and started to speak into the microphone but just before he began, a large contingent of fans, many of whom were gorgeous young women; rushed onstage and swarmed the podium kissing Launchpad and Darkwing and patting Bolt and Quiverwing on the head as they begged for autographs.**

**Some even tried for unauthorized souvenirs but fighting crime promoted great reflexes and all the heroes (and sidekicks) onstage managed to keep their headgear and other accessories as well as act charming and kindly to the crowd. In the confusion of the moment Griz switched Mayor Minya's speech with his and made sure to step back with the other assistant's as security stepped in to restore order. **

**First Agent Grizzlikof was careful not to break his cover, but his communications ear-bug was on and he had heard the Mayor's not so subtle threats. Touching one of his cufflinks he made sure his real time report was being relayed. Director Hooter would be expecting him to stick with Darkwing and once they were at the Hotel, a whole new set of problems were sure to pop up but at least now they had a small smattering of solid evidence to use if they needed to. **

**Darkwing strangled his feelings of dislike for the mayor and helped him to the podium as he tried to placate the fan girls who were still clinging to his costume. He DID manage to look past the ladies and see Quiverwing, LP and Bolt struggling as well. Quiverwing was still wearing her Spell Chain under her glove and as the crowd surged forward she felt a slight tingling all over. **

**Seeing their situation, Griz was unable to remain completely in the background in spite of his need to stay undercover. As Bolt and Quiverwing pressed against Launchpad for support, Grizzlikof or Mr. Jenkins; rushed forward bringing some of the mayor's staff with him. Together they bolstered the children and buffered the threesome so that they could act fine for the camera crews now avidly filming the chaos. The threesome swiftly began shaking hands and signing autographs with the younger fans while security struggled to regain control. **

**Darkwing managed to extract his cape and avoid loosing his slouch hat to a drop dead gorgeous, blonde female who was wearing a tight t shirt with 'Team Darkwing Let's get Dangerous!' emblazoned across her…chest and a pair of Ms. Duke shorts. But this particular young lady was going WAY too far as far as Quiverwing was concerned. Quiverwing glanced worriedly at her Dad and frowned as the brazen female ignored security and began pulling off her headband, inscribed with what was presumably her phone number; and part of her top begging Darkwing to sign her clothes with what was left of her red tube of lipstick.**

**Griz had already signaled for more backup and S.H.U.S.H. agent's dressed in identical 'Event Security Crew' t-shirts, jeans, sunglasses, ear pieces and discrete weaponry began helping the overwhelmed police to restore order and line fans up for pictures and autographs. Poor DW was just realizing how unprepared for this kind of crushing crowd and aggressive fans they were, when things got even worse from his perspective. His Spell Chain tingled as a spike of concern hit him for LP and the children, not to mention his own discomfort at that female's behavior.**

**When these new security people escorted the blonde bombshell and her friends off the stage, she tossed her headband at Darkwing and it landed on the crown of his hat. He was trying to wipe several lipstick marks off his face and didn't realize the headband was still present until he happened to see Morgana Macabre sweep up to the stage with an angry look in her eye. Eek and Squeek KNEW Darkwing was not in the least flattered by the pawing female and so they defused Morgana's temper offering, '**_Calmly Morgana, Dark didn't expect this.' 'He wouldn't betray your trust with someone like that dearest.'_

**Morgana agreed with them, Dark's emotions were all to clear and she hesitated to use any kind of spell with all the cameras, seeing the tramp's wardrobe such as it was nearly undid her good intentions though. Dark clouds and worse were threatening to make an appearance when suddenly Morgana smiled coldly at the blonde. **

**There were stacks of Darkwing Duck purple colored plastic rain poncho's all along the side of the stage, clearly someone had thought to prepare for different weather conditions. The woman swallowed hard, clearly wishing that security had taken her much further than the edge of the stage as Morgana's bat familiar's swooped to the blonde carrying an unfolded rain poncho and dumped it over her head covering her scanty outfit and her in the unflattering plastic. Squeek did very well for this short flight but he was very glad to settle back onto Morgana's hairdo since his wings were feeling the strain. **

**Stepping over to the edge of the stage and offering a hand to Morgana, Darkwing determinedly ignored the mayor to caress Squeek and helped her up onto the stage. Gallantly he swept his hat off as he introduced her to the Mayor as Lady Morgana Macabre a valued Heroine in her own right and the successful business woman behind the Nouveau Monster inspired cuisine that had been pioneered right here in St. Canard. **

**Camera crews were broadcasting live video of Darkwing's every word and several reporters turned to face the Mayor, clearly hoping for a newsworthy reaction as Eek, Squeek and Archie made their presence known. Eek by fluttering around the Mayor, Squeek by purring loud enough to be picked up by the microphone, while Archie leaped for Darkwing's hat.**

**Taken aback at this lengthy and complimentary introduction; as well as the involuntary stab of pain from Squeek; Morgana paused in her reaction to the woman. Her smile turned warmer as Archie tied a web line to the offending headband and dangled it in front of Darkwing's eyes.**

**He turned a bright red under his feathers and quickly added, "She has also recently consented to make me the happiest duck in the world as she is also my fiancée."**

**Archie chortled and a flick of his web-line sent the offending headband into the now attentive crowd. Morgana blushed delicately under her plumage as several reporters began firing questions at her that were quite personal. **

**Ignoring them she offered a regal hand to Mayor Minya and with a captivating smile she said, "Mr. Mayor, I AM honored…."**

**Her expression turned cooler as she added, "Truly, I have wanted to meet you ever since I first understood your position in the city's government. After all, Dark has been valiant in his defense of law abiding citizens in St. Canard for years now and I wanted to thank you for your support of his efforts."**

**Minya managed to maintain his composure and shook her hand as she stepped back slightly to accept Darkwing's hand and her smile was again composed as the Mayor turned and began his speech.**

**Quiverwing was actually surprised as she heard the Mayor's speech which was all about how proud he was to know the city's hardworking law enforcement had the help of a crime fighter like Darkwing and how glad he was that the city could finally show it's appreciation for their very own hometown hero.**

**After several paragraphs he paused to drink from his bottle of Koo Koo fizzy water looking positively uncomfortable after about ten more minutes of similar comments, he continued gamely, "in conclusion let me say I am proud of our turnout today it's a shining moment of civic pride for all of us and the St. Canard Orphanage will be all the better able to provide for our children with the help of fine upstanding citizens like all of you and I now turn the stage over to Darkwing Duck and his team!" **

**As lines formed on either side of the stage and the Mayor escaped down the back stairs his expression was far less hostile and far more shell shocked than it had been when he first arrived and Morgana touched Darkwing's sleeve as Squeek chirped. **

**Glancing at his fiancée Darkwing paused almost imperceptively, he heard her in his head and she said gently, **_'Dark, he isn't well, I know he doesn't like you or support us, what would make him speak well of something he doesn't believe in?'_

**Understanding her confusion and honestly just as confused as Morgana seemed to be he managed to reply, **_'I'm not sure Morg, we'll get through today and I'll look into it after the media spotlight fades.'_

**Quiverwing was already signing shirts, postcards, notebooks and giving away photos of herself and the Justice Ducks as Bolt handed them to her while Launchpad handed Darkwing a stack of 8X10 glossies and stepped aside. To his shock most people waited for his autograph as well as DW and Morgana's. **

**Morgana hadn't expected this but swiftly recovered, Concentrating she and Squeek and Eek manifested one of her ingredient bags from the restaurant. Using one of her preservation spells she changed the button mushrooms in the bag into shiny mushroom shaped tokens. **

**Handing these out to the fans in line as they received their autographs, she made sure to tell them that they could redeem the 'shrooms either at her booth here or at the Shadow Chateau for an appetizer or a dessert at no charge. Looking at the LONG lines still forming she sent Eek back to Granny to warn her and her boa constrictor that most likely they would be here until she helped Dark through this. **

**Of course, her Dark had courage and his ego was ballooning in spite of himself, but Morgana could tell he was emotionally steadier with her and the boys by his side. Archie stayed discretely tucked below the crown of Dark's hat so as to not frighten anyone but every so often he would sneak into view to wave at little children in line especially when they were almost in place to meet Quiverwing. **

**Since Archie was perfectly capable of being unnoticed entirely, Morgana left it to his up to him to decide who to show himself to. Since he and Dark were now right next to Quiverwing, Bolt and LP it worked out well as a tiny distraction to keep children's attention focused on the hero(s).**

**Grizzlikof watched attentively from his place at the rear of the stage in case he needed to step in again. To his surprise, Darkwing signaled him after about an hour to tell him that his team needed a break from the signings and after sending them to the rear of the stage, he used his gas gun to shoot confetti canisters and his trademark blue smoke to cover their get away leaving the hapless 'Mr. Jenkins' to clean up the stage and unknown to Darkwing he also offered a second appearance opportunity at a later date.**

**Various reporters had actually been expecting this dramatic exit strategy and rushed the back of the stage hoping to interview Darkwing and Morgana since his personal announcement had been a surprise scoop. Several of the entertainment shows had even shot stock introductory footage showing the signings in the background in hopes of scoring ratings for the initial media blitz. The fact that the exotic and charismatic Morgana was now openly associated with Darkwing made the potential gossip even more in demand than the various producers and editors had hoped and the crews knew better than to give up without a fight. **

**Ignoring the news crews following along like persistent puppies and the paparazzi who were snapping pictures of their group and trying to ask questions; Darkwing didn't even hide his grin as he rushed towards the Shadow Chateau pavilion with LP, QW, Bolt and Morgana in tow. Morgana giggled a little too as she watched her fiancé bow gallantly and offer to win her a prize from one of the carnival game booths set up just outside the area defined by her tables and a few strategic, atmospheric touches.**

**Quiverwing was enchanted by the shifting gravestones and Honker and LP were watching the crooked wrought iron fencing while Archie hid on Quiverwing's hat. Granted this fence was maybe six inches high with safely blunted edges but it made up for what it lacked in height by attacking the auditory nerves of most of the people nearby. If anyone attempted to step over the fence or otherwise disrupt the Shadow Chateau, it let loose with spine tingling, shudder inducing, moans, groans, and shrieks that actually kept the hungry crowds here in good order as they waited to be served. Of course the fact that Granny's ten foot boa constrictor was acting as a bouncer and Uncle Nero was directing four gargoyles and what people THOUGHT were actors in costumes dressed as skeletons, zombies and bizarre monsters as wait staff helped with the intimidation factor.**

**Darkwing HAD been going to do one of his patent pending quick changes and become Drake Mallard but there were too many people wandering all around to risk it. Besides, Morgana wasn't going to change her appearance so his civilian identity couldn't just appear and eat lunch with her in front of this crowd especially since he'd just announced that they were engaged. **

**This being the case he decided to take full advantage of his training, athleticism and agility and donate a little money to the orphanage by playing some of the carnival games of 'skill'; that way he could show off for Morgana as well as the cameras. He also made a mental note to try and apologize once he got Morgana alone. If that girl hadn't embarrassed him so badly he'd have asked before outing their relationship to the public like that; at least Morgana seemed to have taken all this in stride. **

**The nearest booth operator looked a little uncomfortable as the caped and masked figure stepped up and plunked down his five dollars; but the weasel made no comment about his appearance or Morgana's since Eek was fluttering around her hair, Squeek was clinging to her dress and Archie was once again riding discretely on DW's hat; instead he handed over three baseballs and stated, "knock over a stack of bottles and win the little Lady a prize."**

**Rolling up his sleeves and winding up dramatically, Darkwing took aim and hit the stack dead on, but to his surprise the bottles only teetered frustratingly. Realizing that the bottles were weighted and the balls were lighter than they would have been if they were used in an actual baseball game, Darkwing was tempted to call FOUL and have the booth shut down. **

**Morgana was just as surprised as Dark at his failure to knock the bottles over but a swift peek in her beloved's head soon cleared up the mystery. Taking a deep breath, Darkwing pulled out his gas gun and stuffed the last two baseballs into the mouth of his weapon. **

**The weasel looked panicked and attempted to stop the hero but a look from Darkwing stopped him as did his quiet statement and gesture to the cameras filming just out of his way behind him. "You'd better let all your buddies know I expect all these prizes to be given away before the party stops in about…" **

**Glancing at his wristwatch he added, "four hours or I'll make it my business to find you and all of your buddies. Trust me you won't like what happens when I do."**

**He shot the baseballs from his gun, knocked down two sets of bottles and gestured grandly for Morgana to accept a prize. Smiling with chilling and gentle malice at the now sweating weasel she plucked a large, jaguar spotted, stuffed platypus from the stacks of prizes and waited while Darkwing had a few more words with the booth operator.**

**To her surprise Dark seemed to have put aside his anger as they walked away especially since he had plucked a second prize from the booth and absently handed it to Launchpad who was delighted with the large, lemon yellow, vaguely mouse shaped creature DW gave him. It had distinctive red patches on both cheeks and a rigid. lightning bolt shaped tail and made a strange peeka peeka noise when you squeezed it. **

**As they sat together at one of the tables in her display area, Dark told Morgana what he had discovered from the thoroughly unnerved vender. Evidently they were expected to give away all their prizes, but in order to maximize the donations to the orphanage someone had placed a quota on each booth. **

**The booth operator had also admitted that while the games WERE weighted to be harder than they looked at first glance, all of them had passed city inspection and were completely winnable, just not on the first (or usually the second) try; not unless you saw other people play them and figured out the trick to each one anyway. To make up for using his gas gun he'd even added another twenty dollars to the vender's till before catching back up to his group.**

**Darkwing was still agitated over the fairly shady way the carnival booth's were being operated; but just then their lunch arrived. Cousin Blobby, who looked rather like one of Morgana's Jell-o mold accidents came sliding up balancing a serving tray on his head. **

**Cousin Blobby was a lime green color and in spite of, or maybe because of his body shape, which was rather like a dollop of cool whip with a smiling face and expressive eyes. Darkwing found Blobby was one of the easiest of Morgana's relatives for him to accept and trust. **

**Blobby seemed to communicate in the same weird spider dialect that Archie used, and ever since Gosalyn's birthday; Drake had found listening to the spider to be easier to understand so Blobby was one of his favorite people on Morgana's side of the family. Actually, other than Monoculo and Granny most of her family was acting nicer to him now and that WAS an improvement.**

**Unlike most of Morgana's relatives, Blobby was one of the people who openly supported Morgana in her quest to live outside the Monster realm and to win the mate of her choice. Obviously this meant, that as far as Darkwing knew; cousin Blobby approved of their relationship and him. On the tray were several dishes most of which weren't moving independently of the tray.**

**Dark took this to be a positive sign and eagerly helped Morgana set the table before offering, "Umm…Blobby, would you like me to take the serving tray for you?" **

**Cousin Blobby chuckled and shook his upper body in a negative gesture as Quiverwing staggered up to the table, She and Bolt were loaded down with toys and prizes from the booths they had passed and Darkwing looked more than a little surprised at their haul. Quiverwing grinned at her Dad and at first didn't say anything about how they had gotten the toys. **

**The two of them sat with the three adults as Morgana began serving them while cameras rolled. Realizing that they were still on display Dark gave Gosalyn a warning look which she correctly interpreted to mean to use her best manners. To his delight Gosalyn/Quiverwing obeyed his look and was photogenic, polite and even (gasp) Well mannered! **

**As they ate Quiverwing, with help from Bolt; explained that after her father's little demonstration at the baseball booth; weasels had rushed up and loaded the two of them down with prizes to give away and disappeared back into the crowd. For the first time in their relationship, Darkwing really appreciated the more exotic and let's be honest creepy elements of Morgana's culture. This was mainly because these same atmospheric and 'mood enhancing' essentials now helped to maintain a small sense of privacy for their party. **

**With the fence and Granny's constrictor to keep the camera's and reporters back, lunch was fairly uneventful in spite of the fact that three different cameras were taping footage of their lunch. Afterwards Darkwing and Morgana looked on with pride as Quiverwing and Bolt began handing out their extra prizes to the younger guests waiting to eat. Children in particular were very accepting of the food and atmosphere of Morgana's restaurant and Darkwing smiled as he left Morgana filling her reservations book with dozens of birthday parties and families. **

**Mr. Jenkins came rushing up to them and dragged the heroes and sidekicks back to the main stage where Heron Montana and Quiverwing exchanged autographs and phone numbers before the pop sensation began her next set of songs. Quiverwing and Bolt were looking a little star struck as they waited to go onstage with Darkwing and do some exhibition marksmanship as well as more autographs. Then the Jaynus brothers stopped by as well, Quiverwing managed to act almost normally especially when Nick asked her to sign a copy of the new issue of Wiffleboy comics and Bolt hit it off with Kevin since the singer was particularly impressed with his new look. **

**Launchpad was just as star struck as the children but they all managed to get through their next set of event's without much trouble. By the time it was getting on towards 4 o'clock even Quiverwing and Darkwing were feeling the strain since this kind of sustained, public and quite personal appearance wasn't something any of them were used to. **

**Bolt and Launchpad were actually steadying influences on their respective Heroes, who's ego's were definitely getting vigorous workouts. However, Bolt was feeling more than a little overwhelmed and he secretly had hoped that his parents would see him in his costume. He and Quiverwing HAD been looking for them, but they hadn't counted on such a huge and boisterous crowd. **

**Knowing that everyone was feeling the strain, even if DW and QW would never admit it, LP ducked back towards their jet in hopes of letting his family rest for a few minutes before heading to the tower to change for the Mayor's dinner. As they passed the area where the Shadow Chateau's mobile restaurant was, Dark slowed looking for Morgana. **

**Smiling as she noticed Dark hovering by the gate, Morgana started to go to him, her sense of responsibility kicked in though since they were still dismantling things. All her samples were gone and the crowds were finally starting to disperse. But, even though Granny and Nero had already left with the rest of her staff, Morgana still had to spell the furniture and fixtures back to the actual restaurant and her energy was flagging badly.**

**Going to her beloved, she started to take his offered hand, at that moment, neither of them wanted anything more than to connect for a few minutes in spite of the press of the crowd. Neither of them realized that Morgana's familiars had been worrying about them all afternoon. Their exhaustion wasn't serious, as long as Morgana didn't overextend herself they would recover even without spending time with each other, but…Archie in particular hadn't wanted to take any chances. This being the case, he had called for backup that none of their charges would argue overmuch with.**

**Reluctantly she tried to tell Dark that he would have to go on without her when who should step out of the crowd but her Uncle Mintaka and her aunt Lucidia. They didn't say anything to her, they just smiled and ushered her to her fiancé who got a goofy look on his face as he took her hand and led her to their group. **

**Suddenly Quiverwing stopped dead and Launchpad was hard pressed to stop without running into her, one of the following paparazzi promptly began firing questions at the half sized heroine. She ignored them and pulled Bolt, Launchpad and Her dad firmly along since she had caught a glimpse of a familiar family gawking at the Thunderquack. **

**Morgana was gliding along beside Dark and as they halted she too saw the Muddlefoot's. Reassuringly she smiled at her duck as he tried to decipher his darling daughter's plan. At first Darkwing didn't realize WHY Gos would deliberately seek out the Muddlefoot's but then he saw the excited expression on Bolt's face. Darkwing was SO proud of Gosalyn for thinking of Honker and Bolt's happy expression as they shook hands and spoke to his parents almost made Herb's recounting of their adventure at the Long Life Spa almost bearable.**

**After leaving Herb and Binkie with one of the camera crews since Herb was STILL telling his version of their adventure, the heroes continued toward the Jet. To Darkwing's surprise, the disguised S.H.U.S.H. operatives, still acting as added security; were watching out not just the Thunderquack for them as well; running interference for them with the reporters and the fans. This gave Darkwing the chance to notice some people he recognized in the crowds still thronging the park as well. **

**Ignoring the fact that the Mayor was going to have a fit if they were late, Darkwing moved to smile and offer a kind word to the little goosey lady who ran one of the few florist shops that would deliver to Morgana's without charging him three times the usual fee. Tussie-Mussie smiled broadly as she shook Darkwing's hand and actually hugged the startled Morgana. **

**Ignoring the crowd, her bats and Morgana's surprise the florist gushed, "I'm Sooo Happy to finally meet you! He is always trying to think up just the right gifts to woo you with and it's finally official."**

**Looking proudly at Darkwing she continued while Launchpad hid a grin and Quiverwing and Bolt struggled not to laugh out loud, "Such a NICE young duck you have there my dear, so thoughtful and it's sweet the way he worries over you."**

**Looking worldly wise and clearly teasing the now thoroughly blushing Darkwing she finished, "It's a shame all the BEST young male's are taken, why if I was twenty five years younger I'd have made a play for him myself; he's such a romantic beau."**

**Tucking a business card firmly in Morgana's hand she offered, "there's no rush of course, but when you need help with the wedding you call me…my cousin is a wedding planner and of course we'll give you the best service, price and selection; what with you and Darkwing already being customers of mine and all." **

**Their communication earpieces beeped just as Grizzlikof moved up to usher them to their plane. With the threat of VAST irritation from the still in character Mr. Jenkins urging them onward, Launchpad started to load the kids into the jet as Darkwing managed to wave goodbye to Tussie-Mussie and help Morgana into the plane. Griz hid his smile as he realized Darkwing was still blushing as two different media crews began vying with each other to interview the florist.**

**She in turn began to expound on what a kind and helpful young duck Darkwing was and how she had first met him when he'd foiled a gang of hoodlums' who were trying to destroy her florist shop. Mr. Jenkins allowed himself the hint of a grin as he watched the florist reveling in the attention from the media. He really was glad that so many of the crowd seemed to be genuine fans of the masked mallard. What worried him though was that they were all still playing catch up. **

**It had taken S.H.U.S.H. almost a day to figure out how to handle this once the media barrage had begun but Director Hooter had been determined to spin this to the advantage of the HEROS operatives. Since Gizmoduck was already in the spotlight so to speak Hooter had decided to run with this until they figured out what was going on. Particularly since they had been caught flat footed by the intense barrage of national exposure. This way, S.H.U.S.H. would be involved in the official reporting and they could ensure that vital bits were left out. **

**Griz knew that Hooter wasn't the only one who was taking advantage of this, but so far none of the GEEK's had penetrated the maze of electronics' hiding whoever was actually behind this. Griz sighed and moved forward, still in his cover as Darkwing's personal assistant and offered what he hoped was a professional smile to the camera's as he began to hand out dossiers to different crews containing what they wanted reported about Darkwing and his activities. **

**He signaled to Special Agent DD and made sure that the team covering the Astoria Hotel was in place for the charity dinner and went to introduce himself to Ms. Mussie. **

**---**

**Fenton Crackshell waited anxiously as the maitre'd, Jean-Paul led him to the table that was reserved for his party. He was actually a tiny bit early, but after seeing the ring box the maitre'd had grinned knowingly and offered to make any adjustments Fenton wanted to their dinner while escorting him to the table for a preview.**

**Fenton gulped and tugged at his collar and tie as he gazed at the elegant table setting. The snow white table cloth was accented by a dark burgundy, off center, oval shaped table runner and fine crystal stemware. Fenton felt more than a little intimidated knowing he was using the discounted coupons and reservations to afford such a nice dinner, but Gandra deserved the best and he HAD earned the bonus from old McDuck. Straightening he managed a nod to the Maitre'd in what he hoped was a confident manner but….**

**Seeing Fenton's nerves the maitre'd smiled knowingly and said in a kind tone, "We here at the Aviary understand the importance of this sort of occasion Mr. Crackshell."**

**Lowering his voice a little he added in an understanding tone, "Mr. McDuck was quite adamant in his instructions when he made arrangements for the packages for his employee's; you needn't be concerned. Your experience here will be top notch and entirely discrete I will make sure of it personally."**

**Blushing faintly, Fenton grinned a little and nodded his thanks but his attention was riveted on the doorway. His lady love Gandra had just arrived and one of the hostesses was pointing her in his direction. **

**Jean-Paul smiled faintly before donning his professional expression again to whisper, "Forgive me sir but I must congratulate you, you have exquisite taste in ladies Mr. Crackshell. I shall wait on you myself." **

**Fenton didn't answer him but seeing the vision walking toward them, Jean-Paul was inclined to be understanding. Gandra moved gracefully into the room. She was dressed in a demurely cut, powder blue gown that was several shades lighter than her sparkling eyes which danced at him from under her artfully curled bangs. The gown's classic saucy skirt showed off her buxom rear and slender legs to perfection, while her lustrous, golden blonde locks were swept up in a bun from which sexy tendrils had been allowed to escape drawing attention to her slender neck. And her wide, well formed webbed feet carried her smoothly to the table with a perky stride that showed off her svelte figure and ample backside. **

**What actually had Fenton frozen in place though was the warm, welcoming expression and happy smile on her face. Fenton swallowed hard and fortunately Jean-Paul had already pulled out the chair for Gandra so all Fenton had to do was sit in his own. Unfortunately he was so twitterpated that the very nearly missed the seat…. **

**---**

_Just to let people know, the stuffed prizes I described are actual ones I have gotten from various booths, the platypus was from Dino-land in the Animal Kingdom theme park in Walt Disney World and the Pikachu is from a state fair. (they were both pity prizes I got beaten by very small children at least a dozen times and was awarded a prize because the operators had made their money LOL)_

_Also Fenton and Gandra fans don't be too mad about the cliffhanger here. I will return to them next chapter but I thought this was getting a little too long and I promise to update again soon so stay tooned for the next chapter in this exciting saga of feathered love and adventure. In the next installment I hope to show a new facet to the story and I am introducing some rather far reaching ideas. _

_Also my good friend Lady Mallard has written several DWD crossovers one of which is listed in the DWD crossover section. It is actually a really cute story and a fun read as are her other crossovers one of which is listed in the regular DWD section since she posted it before the crossover section became available for DWD. Go ahead and check out her little treasures, you'll have a good read and a fun time since she isn't nearly as longwinded as I am. LOL please enjoy both of our stories and let us know what you think your friend Irual_


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: Disney owns all their characters and I am playing with them for fun, feedback and LOVE nothing else. Please leave me LOVE and reviews and thank you, enjoy Irual_

**---**

**Launchpad looked in the mirror and grinned at his reflection. He wasn't usually too concerned with how he looked, but given the weird behavior of the mayor this afternoon and how energetically people had embraced them as the celebrities of the moment at the charity event this afternoon; he figured that taking a minute to make sure that his scarf was clean couldn't hurt. At least this time it WAS his reflection he saw which didn't happen nearly as often as it used to. **

**It hadn't escaped his attention that Mintaka and Lucidia were in town either, and undoubtedly that meant there was definitely a lot more going on than even DW had thought. Hopefully, Morgana and DW would be able to handle any more surprises that were thrown at them tonight without causing themselves anymore trouble. That announcement in front of the Mayor and the press certainly hadn't been cleared ahead of time. Griz had nearly choked on his tongue keeping quiet when that bombshell had hit the press. Benji and her press team had managed to clear a background for Morgana; how they had gotten a hold of Council-head Bellarmine so quickly AND gotten the revised information to Griz, Launchpad didn't know even though he was grateful things had been worked out. At least this way the only problems would be from Drake's civilian side. **

**Launchpad's grin got a little wider as he heard Drake behind him, the days event's had already been a lot more exhausting than they had anticipated but DW wasn't letting his fatigue slow him down much. Gosalyn was determined to keep up and she was chivying Honker into his clean costume even though the slightly built duckling clearly wanted to sit down. It was almost six thirty and their handler 'Mr. Jenkins' was already waiting at the hotel; but DW refused to be hurried. He had carefully checked Quiverwing and Bolt's costume's and made sure they had all their equipment just in case; and LP had checked Darkwing's so now there were only a few last minute details to see to.**

**Drake smiled at Honker and handed him a tall glass of one of Morgana's fruit and vegetable juice concoctions. Eagerly Honker sipped the cold juice and smiled gratefully at Mr. Darkwing as he corralled Gosalyn and forcibly made her take the other glass. **

**Reassuringly Drake said, "Gos, we won't leave until we are ready no matter what the Mayor wants. I want you to be alert so I need you to drink this, Morgana put a lot of thought into these drinks, all you can taste is the fruit I promise."**

**Gosalyn demanded as she drank some of the juice, "Oh yeah? Where's yours then Dad?"**

**Morgana smiled and swept gracefully up to her mallard, "its right here Gosalyn dear. I have already made Launchpad one too. It's over on the counter Launchpad."**

**Sipping her own glass meaningfully, Morg handed Drake his juice and watched with a happy, satisfied expression as he drank the energy and nutrients down. Apparently this was one of the recipes Dark's body found easy to tolerate since he gave no sign of hesitation even though this was his second glass. Archie noticed this too and sent a message to the Quackmoronicon to keep this recipe handy so Morgana could duplicate it and try variations as they were needed. **

**Dark was actually trying much harder to be open minded about the Monster ingredients Morgana was introducing into their diets. But Archie and Eek had decided that being subtle couldn't hurt, especially since Drake's mind still held a little apprehension and his body still held the reflexive reaction to be ill. That being the case, the more…esoteric ingredients were kept in the background most of the time as were the enhancements that were likely as a result of them.**

**Eventually, the Mallards would acclimate to the extras and then letting Drake 'discover' that he liked and had been eating them for some time would finish healing the damage in his mind from Monoculo's nasty hex they had discovered and nullified back in February. That in turn should cure his body of most of it's problems with Monster food and all three familiars were looking forward to that. This was why Drake thought the drink was just juices. The powdered proteins, minerals, vitamins and bee pollen as well as the grated bits of marinated seeds were at present on a need to know basis and he didn't need to know…yet. **

**Morgana smiled at them, sent her empty glass to the kitchen area; and offered, "I think I'll change first Dark darling that way the boys and I will be ready once you have all finished your energy drinks."**

**Stepping behind Dark's changing screen, Morgana began summoning different outfits before settling on a deep red, floor length flared sheath skirt and bodice that contrasted beautifully with the golden Spell Chain at her throat and her family broach at the neckline of the bodice. The sleeves of her bodice ended just above her elbows and she had a matching shawl of finely woven, lacy, red silk thrown over her hair that fell enticingly across her back. It was fastened at the neckline and shoulders so it could drape gracefully even if she left it down her back and the subtle hint of veil wasn't lost on her either. Stepping from behind the screen she smiled at Dark who dropped his now empty glass and stared helplessly at his fiancée swallowing and staring. Archie thought fast and caught the glass with a web line before it broke and Eek took it to the counter giving Drake the chance to get himself together. **

**Very soon afterwards, Quiverwing Quack and Bolt were both boarding the Thunderquack with Launchpad while Morgana and Darkwing had a quick word here in the safety and privacy of the tower. Drake was looking a bit bashful but determined as he admitted, "I…I never expected anything like what happened this afternoon Morg. But I HAD to tell everyone that I'm yours. I couldn't let anyone think that…."**

**Both of them staggered as little as his Spell Chain and hers tingled. Morgana smiled as she adjusted his grey slouch hat and kissed him on the bill as she said, "I'm not a sorceress for nothing Dark, we'll find a way to keep everyone safe. I'll ask Mintaka for an illusionary compulsion to keep people from realizing that Drake and Morgana Mallard are the same as the Justice Ducks Morgana and Darkwing once we are married. That won't be a foolproof solution, but no one who means us harm will make the connection, not for a while anyway."**

**Helping her into the plane Drake blushed again as Gosalyn grinned and muttered, "Smooth Dad real smooth."**

**Ignoring the embarrassment on his best friend's face, Launchpad activated the underwater elevator that would enable the plane to rise out of the bay and grinned, "Next stop the Astoria Hotel, and if it's anything like this afternoon I'd better be ready with one of my BEST crashes."**

**Drake sighed and asked, "How about a landing instead of a crash LP?"**

**Laughing embarrassedly Launchpad stuttered, "Heh, he, heh…oh yeah…that's what I meant."**

**Nodding, Darkwing agreed and grabbed for the crash holds, "OF course it is Launchpad. Whoa!"**

**Gosalyn and Bolt were securely strapped in so they just giggled as Morgana held onto extra straps on her harness Launchpad had added to the back seat of the jet as the plane went into a barrel roll and corkscrew spin before straightening out to arch over the city. **

**---**

**Scrooge McDuck smiled grimly to himself as Duckworth pulled up to the Astoria Hotel in St. Canard. Glomgold Flintheart had been a HUGE pain in the tail feathers at last months meeting of the Adventurer's Society. His rival's not so veiled glee and the disturbing rumors that were floating around had Scrooge worried and NOT for his reputation as the richest duck in the world. He was actually worried for his reputation as a square dealer and honest business duck. **

**If what Scrooge suspected was true, he was going to have to be bold, swift, careful and subtle to come out of this with his reputation and fortune intact. Fortunately, he thrived on adversity and this charity event gave Scrooge a good excuse to come to St. Canard and do a little personal investigating without letting anything slip in case his rivals' spies were more effective than usual. **

**As an added bonus, openly supporting Darkwing meant he'd have the chance to invite Launchpad, the little Lass and her father to the estate for the weekend. Webbigail had been ecstatic over her newfound personal friendship with Gosalyn Mallard and STILL spoke with delight over their camping trip as Jr. Woodchucks. She had begged for the chance to have Gosalyn visit Duckburg and in honesty, Scrooge rather hoped the Mallard's would take him up on his offer for reasons of his own. **

**NOT that he'd admit it of course, but after that whole sorted affair back in May Scrooge had taken rather a shine to the duck behind the purple mask and flamboyant cape. Anyone who could unite so many different people to his cause had a lot more going for him than just bravado and conceit…. Given Darkwing's performance at the bin as a crime fighter, his intelligence, leadership and data analysis skills; Scrooge had pretty much decided that Darkwing's dubious media reputation MUST have been some kind of attempt to get people to underestimate him. **

**Evidently, someone somewhere had decided that it was time to end the ruse. Looking outside the limo Scrooge noticed the billboards showcasing Darkwing and his exploits and this turned his thoughts to his memories of the warehouse in Duckburg and the capture of that strange rooster. **

**Even before seeing career criminals and creatures from legends acting in concert to help save Darkwing, Morgana and the others; Scrooge's instincts had been more than a bit confused over the caped crime fighter. After meeting Darkwing in person, Scrooge had known something was off about his reputation in the media but…evidently the reality of his life was even more outlandish than his fighting style.**

**Scrooge shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he contemplated the enigma of Darkwing and Negaduck. Being present when the Mage-born had done their work had been an eye-opening experience, make no mistake. Even though Scrooge was more open minded than many, it had been Negaduck's forthright acceptance of the Mage-born's power and his unflinching acceptance of what had been done to the Hero's and what he had to do to save them that had impressed the old billionaire the most. With the selfishness of most criminals, and the fact all five of the Fearsome Five had been facing serious charges and high security incarceration; the fact that Negaduck had willingly helped Darkwing had been something no one outside the Mage-born had expected. **

**That combined with the reality of Darkwing's unstinting support of his family, including Negaduck had made more than just the billionaire duck pause…. The fact that Negaduck and Darkwing were identical twins and working on opposite sides of the law HAD come as a shock especially since Scrooge had gotten a glimpse into the complex dynamics of their relationship and seen their faces briefly before their masks had been replaced to safeguard Drake's daughter and their civilian identities. **

**When Darkwing had acknowledged Negaduck and the twosome had fainted, even the mage-born had been taken by surprise at the consequences; although Scrooge still hadn't figured out why having some fancy piece of jewelry involved had caused such a hullabaloo. At least he now understood why the forces of law and order were so careful to keep Negaduck's face hidden. If anyone saw him and made the connection between him and his brother they'd know what Darkwing looked like as well. **

**Scrooge doubted that Darkwing or Negaduck had realized he was even there at the time and he certainly wasn't going to let anything slip but he'd bet old number one that Director Hooter had taken note of his presence AND the highly dangerous information he'd become privy to. Scrooge had actually expected Director Hooter's 'request' much sooner than this. Even so, this media circus had come as more than a bit of a shock to the fairly private McDuck. **

**Shaking his head Scrooge put aside his doubts and fears; he didn't get where he was by starting out a project with a negative attitude OR by staying on the defensive. Even if things went bad, the ducklings, Donald, Daisy, Mrs. Beakley and Duckworth wouldn't come to harm. With the kind of backing Darkwing had, along with his deductive abilities; Darkwing would be a HUGE help. If Drake could be convinced to subcontract his special skills; Scrooge would be a step closer to an equitable solution to his problems. **

**All it would take was the right deal, and deals were Scrooge McDuck's specialty…well that and making maximum profit from minimum investment. Admittedly, Scrooge would NEVER let his insider knowledge slip he had his own secrets after all. However, he had already known about Drake's little girl, and a clandestine search of the school data base for St. Canard's elementary school age population had narrowed the possibilities considerably as had digital comparison to the security files from the bin. **

**Scrooge shook his head at the memory of what had happened after that. Scrooge realized now of course that he had been a little naïve as far as the reaction he'd gotten to his prying. Once he'd found out her last name and Drake's he'd received a very genteel and restrained visit from a HUGE and fairly intimidating grizzly bear of a sentient who had carted him bodily to the Aviary and, a meeting with Director Hooter. In honesty, they had crossed paths before, but that meeting had put the mild seeming owl in another category entirely. **

**In place of the bureaucratic, politically astute administrator had been a truly efficient and ruthless security agent and the old duck had to admit he'd been impressed. That was when they had reached their understanding and Scrooge had agreed to ignore his dislike of Mayor Minya and come out of the closet so to speak in support of yet another multi-layered masked Hero. **

**Of course Gizmoduck was actually his employee first and a government operative second while Darkwing was a government operative first and a private contractor second, but that didn't have to be an issue. Drake was a good and decent duck just like Fenton and Scrooge knew how rare it was to find people like that and he wasn't going to chance wasting this opportunity. **

**As long as Scrooge was careful to make certain there weren't any conflicts of interests for Drake or Darkwing there shouldn't be any problems from S.H.U.S.H.. This whole coming out thing was being orchestrated by them after all. Turning his attention outward Scrooge tapped his cane on the glass partition and Duckworth hit the switch to lower the glass.**

**Speaking gruffly to hide his discomfort over the situation he was in Scrooge said, "What's the holdup Duckworth? Wasted time is wasted money you know."**

**Duckworth was his usual unflappable self and calmly replied, "Very good Mr. McDuck. The television crews are being cleared from the traffic pattern now."**

**Easing his way forward, Duckworth pulled up to the VIP entrance of the Astoria hotel and let Scrooge out as the beleaguered doorman opened the entrance to usher the billionaire inside.**

**---**

**Fenton Crackshell was a very happy duck. He felt as though he could fly even though his webbed feet were still firmly on the ground. His beloved Gandra had accepted his marriage proposal! Now a modest, sparkling, diamond solitaire shown in the light from the lampposts that were just coming on in the park from her ring finger. They walked hand in hand as he escorted her home before shyly pausing on her doorstep. **

**Before he could pull away Gandra kissed him soundly and whispered, "Oh Fenton, I am the happiest duck in the world. I know we have a lot to talk over, but I can't be late for work and your M'ma will be worried so I'll see you tomorrow alright?"**

**Fenton tightened his hold on Gandra and returned her kiss ardently before agreeing, "Gandra, you are the world's most generous, loving female. M'ma won't mind waiting for a few more minutes…can I please come in?"**

**Thoroughly taken aback at his forwardness Gandra started to object until she saw the solemn look in his eyes.**

**As they ducked inside she saw her beau drop a tiny cube on the floor and shut the door. Gently he whispered, "It's alright Gandra, that is a white noise generator. I'll take it with me when I leave but I couldn't wait to give you this."**

**Smiling warmly he handed her a dainty, femininely styled, black and purple cel phone and quietly explained it's functions and the emergency settings before kissing her passionately, blushing and hurrying home. Gandra smiled dreamily and shut the door securely after him before seeing the tiny cube still beside the door jam.**

**Smiling to herself she turned off the cube before tucking it into her purse. She could slip it to Fenton tomorrow at the money bin. Tonight, she wanted to call her dad and tell him the news.**

**Humming to herself she programmed her daddy's private line into the secure memory chip and hit speed dial, "Hello…Daddy, He FINNALLY asked me! I am SOOO happy…. I understand, I'll bring him to meet you this week. I'm kind of scared and excited. He's the most wonderful duck in the world I KNOW you'll love him once you meet him."**

**Faintly a familiar voice could be heard answering her, "As long as he treats you right Gandra baby. My job cost me your mother and your childhood but I won't let it come between us anymore. I'm sure your young man is just as wonderful as you say. Benji, inform our team of operatives that I am on the way to the Astoria hotel as soon as I finish this call." **

**Gandra smiled knowingly and added, "I know you Daddy. Just because I've never had him to meet you doesn't mean you haven't already had him investigated. The only thing this will do is let my fiancé meet my dad face to face."**

**Her dad chuckled and admitted, "Even so that's important too and I have been looking forward to meeting him for quite some time. You wouldn't want to ruin one of the few perks a dad has for putting up with a daughter's boyfriends would you?"**

**Laughing lightly Gandra replied, "I won't ruin your fun daddy. I know you're busy with things there so I'll let you go. I love you."**

"**I love you too my darling girl, I am very happy for you and I promise not to scare him off, unless he hurts you."**

**Those who knew James G. Hooter would have been surprised at the uncharacteristic emotion in his tone as he added that last bit but Gandra had always known how much her father loved both her and her mother and his only half joking threat was something she actually understood very well. Gandra shook her head and hung up the phone, Fenton wasn't the only one with secrets but at least now things could come out in the open…as much as having a dad who ran a semi secret government intelligence agency could come out anyway.**

**---**

**Isis Vanderchill watched the doorway eagerly, she had spent the last year in S.H.U.S.H. custody and thanks to Sarah Bellum's experimental, thermal generator that was now built into the bracelet fastened permanently on her right wrist, she had become a law abiding citizen and regular fixture in the social spotlight once again. Isis hadn't forgotten the handsome and mysterious crime fighter who had stopped her plan to coat St. Canard in gold, but since she was warm now; she didn't hold a grudge. On the contrary, she was actually grateful and from the footage she had seen of his appearance at the park he was still as intriguing as ever…even if he WAS spoken for now.**

**Amelia Vanderpelt had had more than a few doubt's about the wisdom of allowing her niece to interact with Darkwing Duck again but so far the only problem was that the star attraction was running later than the mayor. The main ballroom of the Astoria was now filled with a large selection of the biggest movers and shakers in St. Canard. Most of them were looking more than a bit bored as Mayor Minya tried to engage Scrooge McDuck yet another of his 'discussions' about how cost effective his administration was and what a good climate for entrepreneurs he had created in St. Canard and it's surrounding areas.**

**Scrooge on the other hand looked irritated as he barely acknowledged the mayor. It was nearly six thirty and in spite of his agreement with Director Hooter; he was loosing patience with, this trivial conversation AND this fundraiser. Looking past Mayor Minya Scrooge saw Director Hooter standing quietly near the stage and moved toward the podium. **

**James Hooter was connected with his command by the ear bug he wore. Thanks to Benji and Griz he knew the team he had assigned to this event were covering everything from media control to security and so far there was no sign of trouble but that wasn't really as comforting as it could have been. He also knew that Darkwing was on his way, but the crowd was showing signs of restlessness and Scrooge had a distinctly irritated look in his eye.**

**Just as he started to go to Mayor Minya and Scrooge to orchestrate serving hors d'oeuvre's and seating for cocktails, there was a plume of blue smoke beside Mrs. Vanderpelt. Security buzzed his ear piece and began checking for anything unexpected but all they reported was the Thunderquack securely settled on the helipad of the hotel parking garage but none of the teams of agents had seen the group of HERO's operatives move from the garage to the hotel.**

**The crowd gasped in anticipation and surged a little towards the plump matron as an unmistakable voice stated, "I am the terror that flaps in the night, I am the charitable donation that enables you to qualify for a lower tax bracket. I am Darkwing Duck!"**

**The smoke cleared to show the caped and masked crime fighter posing beside Mrs. Vanderpelt along with his faithful sidekick. Mayor Minya looked relived and annoyed as he moved toward the stage. He was behind Isis Vanderchill and several other large ladies and he had to be careful how he moved past them since the crowd was now snuggly packed much closer to the hero who was shaking hands and smiling and looking photogenic as people took pictures.**

**Hooter silenced the chatter in his ear piece and glanced around. Being toward the back of the crowd was an advantage in some ways, in spite of his short stature he could easily see the stage from back here. As Darkwing and Launchpad continued to speak to members of the crowd, Hooter looked around alertly and saw a tall, charismatic figure step away from a slightly shadowed corner by some decorative drapes. **

**As he watched two much smaller figures followed her and he smiled a little realizing that Darkwing had split them up in case his entrance was sabotaged. James felt a certain warmth in his chest as he realized that the cautious chat he'd had with Drake over the cell connection earlier on HAD gotten through to the younger operative. Drake was definitely progressing well in spite of his love for the kinds of ego stroking this sort of thing was. **

**The only shadow over this whole thing was that G.E.E.K. still couldn't trace the sabotage of the secure lines and no one was any closer to discovering who had set them up to tout Darkwing as the newest media darling of the tri state area. There was even rumbling at the national level although the fact that Gizmoduck was on the same team had helped there. None of the federal level objectors could deny how useful Gizmoduck's international appeal had been before now and since they were on the same team only one set OF HERO's operatives was compromised. Sighing Hooter moved to greet Morgana and smile reassuringly to the two Jr. HERO's.**

**Morgana Macabre moved deeper into the room to greet Director Hooter, as she offered him a hand he looked relieved to see her and the children. Formally she admitted, "We weren't about to risk Dark and Launchpad alone in case someone interfered with this event, but Dark insisted that we spilt up so I took the children with me. We will do our best not to cause any more trouble Director, but…."**

**She glanced up at the stage as her Spell Chain tingled and she felt a jolt of startled shock from Dark. Uncertain as to what had caused his reaction Morgana tried to get her thoughts back in order as she saw Scrooge McDuck firmly shaking Dark's hand and talking animatedly with Launchpad.**

**Resolutely turning her attention to the back of the crowd, some of whom had noticed them; Morgana sent Eek to hide on Dark while she spoke pleasantly to these people. Their goodwill would go a long way toward thwarting Mayor Minya's plots, these were people who influenced lawmakers here and if they liked her and Dark….**

**Quiverwing and Bolt stood proudly at attention as James greeted them and asked seriously, but with a faint twinkle in his eye, "I take it you two are acting as part of Darkwing's backup team with Miss Macabre then?"**

**---**

**A transcontinental flight from Cape Suzette was winging it's way toward Los Angles as a plump, taller than average duck in an expensive suit jacket and t shirt made a call from the plane's built in phone system. He was flying first class but something about him said he wasn't interested in the other passengers and considered the amenities to be his just due. **

**Granted, he had paid for his ticket and was entitled to his seat and all that it entailed, but the pretty pup of a girl acting as stewardess for first class had been particularly disturbed by the duck's nasty attitude and comments about her looks and uniform. After serving him his cocktail she had been all to glad to retreat to her seat and wait for the other stewardess' to come up from coach, but she could still hear his conversation as he spoke into the phone. **

**His brown eyes were cold and calculating as he spoke to whoever had answered the phone, "This is Frank Muddlefoot, I am on the way and I'll be landing in LA tonight and I'll expect a meeting tomorrow. Fine I'll hold…."**

**His expression turned from demanding to just unpleasant as his voice went down a few decibels and he continued, "Yessir…I know my business and I have the things you need but I expect more compensation and I won't stand being shorted, this is more than you…."**

**Hanging up the phone he fumed a while longer before taking a small object from his pocket and fondling it before tucking the little thing back into an inner pocket of his jacket.**

**Frank Muddlefoot's irritation faded as his hand brushed his wallet and he pulled out a photo of his brother Herb. Beside him was the lovely Binkie, even after all this time she was still beautiful…how she could have chosen his jock of a brother over him was still a mystery. His eyes took on an even more hungry look as he gazed on their sons, his namesake Franklin was getting to be a teenager now but fortunately Honker was undersized and still appealing. **

**The photos and files on the thumb drive he had taken would pay his bills for the next few months even with out the bonus he was going to demand from that skinflint Glomgold. That would give him time to indulge in his favorite hobby and spend some quality time with his family.**

**He glanced up and saw the frightened look on the stewardess' face and realized he was giving too much away with his expression. Quickly pasting on a neutral look and tilting his seat back, Frank settled in for the rest of the flight. He would catch a connecting flight to St. Canard and his meeting with Glomgold. **

**Once he landed in LA he'd call his brother's house and make arrangements for a little personal visit. Maybe he'd get lucky and Herb would be out again and he'd get to chat with Binkie. He knew he needed to intimidate Franklin and have the boy keep Honker quiet, but soon he wouldn't have to worry about dealing with Herb; Binkie and the boys would be HIS and everything would be perfect.**

**---**

_Okay first of all let me say I blatantly borrowed the idea for Gandra being James Hooter's daughter from a really great fic called Guardian by Borgqn and this story is AWESOME. She hasn't updated in a while but her story is on my faves and I think anyone who want's a truly slam bang example of how to write the triplets should read this. Actually all the characters in her story are spot on as far as I can tell and I SO hope she updates soon but she is studying to be a nurse and that is of course more important but… IF you happen to read this my friend then keep in mind that I am still a fan girl of yours!_

_That being said I hope those of you who are reading this are enjoying what I am posting and that this fic is a good read all in itself and that it is serving it's purpose in setting up the fics I am going to post that happen next. Please feel free to e mail me at irual comcast . net without the spaces. Or private message me. My e mail link on my profile seems to malfunction unfortunately and I am not sure why but the private messages work fine and as you all can tell I live for feedback _

_Also cookies and my dog but that's another story entirely, thank you for reading and I'll try and post again soon. Your friend Irual_


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: Disney owns all their characters and I am making no money from my hobby and am sharing their adventures for responses only so please feed my need. Also in my fanfics the plots happen starting in February of 2008 calendar year but the characters are the ages they were in the cartoons. (Gosalyn's Birthday happened in Hexes and Vexes which makes her now 10; Honker's 10__th__ birthday happened in the cartoon, In Hexes I state that Drake is 25 and for purposes of my plots Launchpad is approximately 5 years or so older than Drake.) I am also upgrading the technology quite a bit while trying to remain true to the source material. Please let me know if this works well or not. Thank you Irual_

**---**

**Darkwing stretched and yawned; glancing at his wrist watch he sighed and decided to grab a cup of coffee. He'd been following the money from the advertising for the charity fundraiser Thursday ever since he'd gotten back to the lair Friday night and it was now technically Saturday. **

**As Darkwing turned from the console it automatically went into secured hibernation mode and powered down. Even though he'd rested at the house and even caught his usual four hours of sleep he had worked through his second routine sleep period and it was catching up to him. **

**Launchpad was finishing the last of his inspections and tuning up of the Thunderquack. He was on his back on a creeper board tinkering with something underneath the plane's cockpit with the access hatch leaning on his upright tool box and muttering to himself as he worked.**

**Darkwing suppressed a grin as he tip toed past his best friend and snuck to the kitchenette in hopes of getting his coffee without Launchpad's gentle nagging about getting some rest. However, Launchpad wasn't as distracted as he seemed and he heard the coffee pot gurgle and slid out from under the plane and moved to the sink wiping his hands with a rag.**

**Drake looked a little guilty as he glanced at Launchpad and said, "Hi, LP. I didn't mean to disturb you…."**

**Launchpad grinned and looked at Darkwing's coffee mug before saying, "I'm not disturbed…just tired. Don't you think we should call it a night? We have to start for Duckburg in a few hours anyway and I'd feel better about the drive with a nap under my belt."**

**Yawning to emphasize his point the lanky pilot waited while his best friend and boss tried and failed to suppress a yawn of his own. Sighing Darkwing gave in. Usually his stubborn streak would have put up more of a fight, but he WAS tired. Inside DW knew LP was right, he would make more progress once he was rested. Even this weekend trip would work out since he could use his new portable mini laptop to continue checking things even though they were going to be gone until Monday. **

**He nodded and said, "You're right LP. Would you bring the messenger bag with you? I already packed the mini PC and there's room in the bag for Gosalyn's as well." **

**He grimaced and added wryly, "Although I admit I HOPE she does something a little more active and cooperative with the ducklings than computer games." **

**Launchpad nodded agreeably as he finished fastening the access hatch back over the oil line of the jet and picked up the desired bag. Laughing a little as they went to the chairs to go home Launchpad added, "I understand DW, but I think it's smart to be prepared. If it rains Gos will want her machine if they play Worlds of Wonder."**

**---**

**Herb Muddlefoot woke up from his Saturday afternoon nap to the rather jarring sound of his bedside phone ringing. Picking up the receiver he said jovially, "Hiya Frank. I'm feeling fine and dandy, even if I do say so himself. Yes Binkums and the boys are just great. The little woman has been cooking up a storm all morning; she want's to be sure you and the boys have plenty to eat while we are gone. I really appreciate this Frank."**

**On the other end of the line, Frank Muddlefoot smiled eerily as he continued, "it's no problem at all. I am just glad I happened to be getting back in the country in time to help you out…. I haven't spent much time in the U.S. in what…it must be close to two years and I want to reconnect with my nephews. From the picture you and Binkie sent at Christmas, I could see how much the boys have grown. No, no I insist, it's the least I can do Herb. I have even arranged for a little surprise as my own anniversary gift for you and Binkie…."**

**He laughed and the intense, hungry look in his eyes would have frightened anyone who saw it as he finished in the same warm and caring tone, "Ah, ah, ah little brother, if I tell you it won't be a surprise. I'll be there this afternoon and we'll do some catching up. I am looking forward to it."**

**He hung up the phone and hurried up the sidewalk towards the unimposing, very solid door in the brick wall. Frank Muddlefoot had arrived in St. Canard on Friday and stayed at the Astoria Hotel while he waited for his employer. As per their agreement over the phone two days earlier, Flintheart had arranged to meet at the Velvet Rope. This was a very discrete, private, and expensive establishment that catered to the very rich, the very criminal; and especially those who were both. **

**Frank took a deep breath and steadied his breathing for a moment. His conversation with Herb had temporarily shifted his thoughts from his almost uncomfortable position but…. In his own mind at least, he had to admit that the clientele here was far above his usual haunts. **

**Frank drew himself up and bolstered his courage. Granted, he wasn't the kind of big time operator that this place catered to. But given his hobbies and the kinds of jobs he took to pay his bills; he really preferred to be thought of as a harmless, small-timer. Moving past the red velvet ropes that crisscrossed each other in front of the entrance he knocked confidently. **

**His appointment with Flintheart Glomgold wasn't until four, but since Glomgold was footing the bill Frank had decided to arrive a little early and have a meal on the old skinflint. The peek hole near the top of the door slid open and a pair of dark brown eyes, far more menacing than his own peered at him before the door swung open to reveal a black furred grizzly bear in a chocolate colored, Parisian suit. **

**His pale pink, silk shirt and dark chocolate tie with it's matching pattern of interwoven stripes should have made the huge ursine less intimidating and yet the fellow carried the look effortlessly. Frank walked in as though he came here everyday and nodded to the second identically dressed bear waiting to frisk him.**

**---**

**Morgana hummed to herself as she puttered around her manor. She was trying to organize the guest rooms since she had had a premonition that she was going to have company here in St. Canard soon. **

**Morgana actually hoped this meant that some of the Monster kind and Mage-born from home were going to need a safe place to stay while they visited, but SEEING wasn't something she was strong in so there weren't any details at all. Archie stirred from his place in the rafters where he was placing some decorative cobwebs and glanced at the mirror as the house defenses reacted to yet another intrusion. The mirror above the mantle in the guestroom flared and a vision appeared showing Morgana and her familiars the front porch and then split to show the back as well. **

**The porch was starting to shift warningly since the duck waiting nervously in front of the door hadn't knocked yet and the more nervous he became the more the porch reacted. Morgana peered into the mirror hanging above the mantle and gestured before hurrying to the door and the doorknocker opened his eyes to speak to the Normal. **

**While Eek flew through the chimney to relay her instructions to the gargoyles; the Quackmoronicon flapped his way to the workroom to activate the portal locks. Morgana wasn't shy about her people OR her power, but she knew that Normals needed careful handling to understand that she wasn't bad just because she was different. **

**This being so, she wanted these people to experience her lands and its ways while making a positive impression so she moved to the porch first. Ahab and the other gargoyles would herd the others to the front and she could use the interval between when they showed up and when she answered the door to defuse their fear and channel it something else. Of course what else they thought would depend on them but….If she wanted to live here and build her life with Dark, she had to at least begin to win some acceptance from the others who lived here. **

**Opening her door, she smiled at the duck on her doorstep and asked. "What brings you to Macabre Manor?"**

**Guiltily he tried to say something but as he was stuttering the other three sentients, most likely television reporters from the equipment they held; came staggering around the corner of the porch escorted by six of the gargoyles who landed heavily on the roof of the porch and the gables she had just had installed yesterday. **

**Morgana gave them her BEST enigmatic smile and offered, "Now that you are all present, won't you come in? I'm sure I can enlighten you."**

**All four of them gulped but the lady duck in charge gathered her wits and her courage and offered her hand in greeting saying, "I'd love to do an interview with you Ms. Macabre. I'm Daisy Duck from channel thirteen news and entertainment in Duckburg and…."**

**Morgana's smile warmed a fraction and she offered, "Ah yes, I saw one of your broadcasts…a show called, 'what in the world', wasn't it? I DO hope you aren't trying to cast me in a bad light Ms. Duck."**

**Daisy laughed uncomfortably and said, "Oh no, in television you are only as good as your last success and I have moved on since that was aired." **

**Daisy looked conspiratorial and admitted, "In fact, I am hoping an exclusive interview with you will give me the edge I need to get a segment of my own on the tri state broadcast."**

**Morgana gestured gracefully and her door opened wide to admit Daisy and her crew. "As a business woman myself I understand how difficult it can be to make a place for yourself; Daisy…. Let's sit down and chat, I am currently developing some new menu items for my restaurant and I should have a few samples ready by the time you have set up your equipment."**

**---**

**Gosalyn grumped a little from her place in the back seat of the car, "Geez Dad, I still don't see why you wouldn't let me even ASK Webbigail and the guys if Honker could come too."**

**Sighing again and asking for patience Drake replied in as calm a voice as he could, "GOSALYN, …honey, I know you and Honker usually hang out together and I know the ducklings all like Honker too, but he had company from Europe coming to visit! His Uncle hasn't seen him in at least a year and Herb and Binkie WANTED Honker to visit with his Uncle."**

**An irritated grunt was the only reply he got until he lost patience and said in his best irritated Father voice, "I don't want to hear another word about this Gosalyn and I expect you to be on your BEST behavior…UNDERSTAND?" **

**Sighing Gosalyn gave in, there was no reason to make Dad really angry after all. Her bracelet tingled making all her feathers fluff as she tried again to shake off the feelings of dread and anxiety she had been trying to deal with ever since she had been informed at breakfast that they were going to Duckburg to stay at the McDuck Estate until Monday and that Honker was staying home. That last bit was the part that had been the reason she was upset, not the trip itself, but being ten sucked as much as being nine as far as winning an argument with dad when he was in his 'I'm the parent so what I say goes ' mood.**

**Still unhappy about having to leave Honker behind without even finding out if he COULD come Gosalyn muttered, "Yessir…. " **

**Before she could slip on her headphones to listen to her I pod Drake offered, "Gos sweetie, I'm sorry about Honker we'll call him later tonight okay?" **

**Seeing her actions in the mirror on the sun visor Drake winced a little and then offered, "I brought the car adapter Gos, pass your I pod up here and I'll run it through the radio so you don't have to wear the headphones."**

**Launchpad glanced in the rearview mirror and hid a grin since Gosalyn's grumpy pout was being duplicated by Drake beside him. But she handed over her music without a fight and waited patently until Drake got it all plugged in and soon enough they were all singing along to Heron Montana and the Jaynus Brothers as well as several other young pop stars. Launchpad took the musical selections in stride since he didn't actually mind them and he knew Drake was singing along as a way to distract Gos, but even so LP was impressed that Drake managed to restrain his sarcasm over the fame and musical merit of the youngsters on Gosalyn's play list all the way to Duckburg. **

**---**

**James Gander Hooter sighed tiredly as he glanced to the digital clock on the wall. He had been hard at work all day and he STILL wasn't anywhere near done with the mounds of paperwork he needed to read and approve or send on to someone else. But it WAS five thirty and if he didn't leave now he'd be late for his appointment. **

**The follow through on Darkwing's going public was actually going very smoothly. Whoever had set the caped and masked vigilante up as the newest celebrity of the tri state area had done so with a thoroughness that had set off the instincts for trouble that every senior S.H.U.S.H. agent, researcher and bureaucrat had. **

**In spite of this though, there hadn't been even a hint of trouble, none that is except the curve ball Darkwing himself had thrown by publicly announcing his engagement to Ms. Macabre at the fund raiser instead of clearing it through them first. But given Grizzlikof's report, Hooter grinned wryly as he imagined the scene; it wasn't that surprising to see how Drake had to have been desperate to keep Morgana from becoming upset either with him or the fans that had been so…enthusiastic in their admiration of him.**

**Moving briskly to the outer office Director Hooter nodded to Benji and said, "I am off to my dinner engagement. If something comes up my personal line will be available of course." **

**Benji looked up from her desk and nodded respectfully, "Yes sir, I'll handle things here until the night shift arrives. Gregory is coming along nicely and he should be entirely capable…. Unless something drastic happens but even then, we shall keep you informed. Have a goodnight Director."**

**Hooter's expression turned surprisingly mischievous as he moved to the elevator and answered, "I certainly hope to Benji."**

**He joined his right hand male, First Agent Grizzlikof who was also going down to the underground parking garage. "Ahh First Agent Grizzlikof, Going home on time for once?" **

**The burly bear nodded non-committal way and hit the button. Director Hooter didn't know it of course, but he was getting a chauffeured ride to the restaurant. Now a days it was too risky for Director Hooter to be wandering around without SOMEONE around to keep an eye on things. Just because nothing had happened yet didn't mean First Agent Grizzlikof was going to be caught off guard.**

**A few minutes later, Hooter got out of the company car. With a rueful smile he moved quietly into his favorite café. He was supposed to meet Gandra and Fenton here in just a few more minutes. Seating himself in his regular booth and nodding to his usual waitress; Hooter slipped his teabag into the pot of hot water she brought and waited with carefully concealed glee for his darling daughter and her fiancé to arrive.**

**Meanwhile, Fenton was nervously escorting Gandra down a small side street in St. Canard. When she told him that she wanted him to meet her father he had of course been more than a little nervous, but it only made sense that she wanted her family to meet him. Honestly he hadn't expected that they would go to St. Canard OR be walking down the sidewalk in this old fashioned neighborhood. Unable to help himself, he glanced around and noticed the independently owned and operated businesses, restaurants and some really well maintained small apartment buildings. He had never been in this area of St. Canard in either of his guises, but somehow he knew that there was a great deal more to this neighborhood than what showed on the surface.**

**A little ways down the block he noticed a small news van in front of a florist shop and stiffened as his heroic side kicked in. Then he relaxed as he realized the crew was trying to interview the older goosey lady who was just locking up. **

**Her kindly and jovial attitude spoke more than words as she finished securing her storefront with a lightweight metal fence across the windows that she moved into place easily all by herself. One of the news crew asked her how effective this could be since it was so light and she laughed good-naturedly and admitted that she used it to placate her family. **

**They didn't like the thought of her locking up and walking home alone, but she wasn't worried. The patrol officers of the St. Canard Police Department came by every evening and she timed her walk with their patrols. Besides the gangs here were very well behaved and never bothered the locals. **

**With an earthy laugh the florist admitted, the gangs HAD been a lot more unruly a few months ago, but after encountering Darkwing Duck they had become very well behaved. Fenton felt Gandra closing his beak for him as she giggled and gestured to the door of the little café they were now in front of and Fenton lost the rest of that remarkable conversation as he scrambled to open the door for Gandra.**

**As they entered he noticed the counter loaded with what looked to be a large selection of deserts and a friendly waitress offered to seat them just as Gandra smiled and waved to someone in a corner booth. Moving forward, Fenton suddenly felt faint as he realized who they were meeting.**

**Struggling with his composure he tried not to stumble as the diminutive owl in the old fashioned suit stood to greet them. Admiring Gandra's ring and hugging her warmly James Hooter looked deeply into her eyes before turning to gaze at Fenton. Fenton managed to shake Hooter's hand and stutter a greeting as he realized that Hooter KNEW about everything and from the twinkle in the owl's eyes he was enjoying this FAR more than Fenton thought possible.**

**First Agent Grizzlikof had wanted to stick around the neighborhood in case of trouble but Hooter had drawn the line at being escorted to the café. Instead of sticking by his comrade and boss he had been told in no uncertain terms to take the rest of the night off and since tomorrow was Sunday he wasn't to go into the office tomorrow either. Not unless Benji or Gregory called him in or he heard from Hooter himself. **

**Sighing Griz decided to put his downtime to good use and get a late meal at the Velvet Rope. He hadn't been there in over two weeks and Lady Velvet was too good a contact not to listen to. Besides, even if she had nothing for him or S.H.U.S.H. her chefs were VERY good and he was tired of the usual mediocre fare he ate at the S.H.U.S.H. cafeteria and hippo burgers.**

**Glancing in his rearview mirror he grinned recognizing Tussie Mussie from the fundraiser at the park. She was certainly taking advantage of her opportunities. Her shop was now considered quaint and trendy and the rest of the businesses here were receiving the benefits of publicity as well. **

**The brownstones and row houses here were all fully tenanted and well kept and several of the more industrial buildings had been bought by a real estate investor who also had been bitten by the acting bug since this Mr. Mallard had also recently acquired the old neighborhood theater and several of the buildings on the edge of this more well to do area. **

**According to the investigation he had sunk quite a bit of money into bringing the buildings up to code, and there were extensive renovations and restorations involved. The theater was being outfitted with modern projection capacity as well as the actual stage for performances and according to Dr. Bellum who sat in on the board of the symphony the new owner was even trying to arrange a concert schedule already.**

**Grizzlikof snorted and drove off shaking his head at his own foolish feeling of unease. That neighborhood had withstood the encroachment of time and crime and was actually stable and as solid as could be but…. **

**Griz knew he was a suspicious sort of person and the surname Mallard was one of the most common in the tri state area. In fact it was second only to Duck for native and immigrant Avians but something about that whole set up concerned him. Oh it was nothing he could put a paw on, but he felt there was something important he was missing.**

**Deciding to put off being paranoid for one evening he went to Velvet's. Her place was a whole other world away from the old school, hard working people of the district that Hooter favored even if it was just a few miles distant in geography. This time of night it was still early enough that he should be able to find a secure space to park the company sedan in the underground and still be fairly close to the door when Lewis and Clark began working the crowd. **

**---**

**Black Secret snarled to herself as she staggered out of the shop mart grocery store. For some reason she had yet to understand, she HAD to have more pills. These high mineral vitamin supplements were the only thing that tended to keep her mind clear. **

**Whenever she tried to go more than six or eight hours without a handful of them, her thinking turned weird. She KNEW those looser weasels wouldn't have been a challenge to someone like her even IF these strange episodes weren't happening, but what little she remembered didn't make any sense.**

**Staggering a little she reached a small room she had rented a few days ago and tried to open the door. Her vision wavered and the key proved to be a choosy companion and after dropping both it and the bottles of vitamins she struck the wall beside the door in frustration. **

**A strange tingling sensation traveled up her arm and centered in the lower part of her torso and she vaguely remembered that she ought to be careful, that was the arm that had been badly cut just the day before yesterday. But she didn't feel hurt and a careful examination showed only her dark plumage and a curious discoloration in her skin at the base of her feathers but there was no sign of any injury. So she dismissed the memory of being hurt as another one of those strange unexplainable things that had happened in the last day or so and turned to stare at the television set. **

**It was tuned to a local newscast that was still covering some kind of entertainment that had been held in St. Canard Municipal Park Thursday. Even though the film was two days old, they were trying to squeeze a little more air time from the footage by expanding the story and showing some of the criminals that were the usual foils for Darkwing Duck. **

**For some reason the sight of the short mallard in the dark purple jacket was irritating but it was the footage of an identical mallard in a yellow jacket and red hat that made her blood boil. Suddenly enraged, she found her left arm raised and pointed at the television set. She made a clenching motion with her fist and suddenly the television smoked and sparked as the tube broke and the case containing the rest of the pieces fell apart. **

**The heavy feeling in her chest had faded and now she felt a bit faint but she was determined not to pass out again. Moving to the phone on the table she dialed a number from memory and sat heavily down to talk so she wouldn't have to concentrate on standing up. **

**Speaking firmly she said, "This is Black Secret checking in, no…he's still in play. I told you I would…yes sir I'll report back by Monday evening."**

**As she hung up she looked distinctly irritated but then calmed as the arid smell of smoking wires and broken electronics wafted to her nares. Looking carefully at her fist she shook her hand and tried to figure out why she was so dizzy but the effort proved to be too much. **

**Slumping tiredly onto the old couch she decided to take a nap before finding transport out of this dump. Just before she fell asleep she gulped a few more of the little tablets that she needed so urgently and passed out to snore on her back as the noise of late afternoon traffic filled the dingy room.**

**---**

_Alrighty, this is actually where I planned on leaving this fic since it is the set up for the next 4 or 5 plots I am working on. I am already working on the first chapters of Grounding Elmo, King's & Pawns, Velvet ties and Trials & Tribulations._

_If for some reason I have gone senile and have left something dangling that is confusing, or if there is something else I need to address please e mail or PM me and I'll work out any kinks and don't worry the first chapter of at least one of the aforementioned plots should be up and running very soon. _

_All four of those happen simultaneously in terms of plot time but they may not all take as long as T&T. That one I am actually pretty nervous about and so I will probably post the villain centric ones first, or at least parts of them. That way all of you spiffy readers who have been following the ducky madness that spews forth from my brain will get to see what happens to the Fearsome Five while T&T happens. _

_(Also I have a couple of ideas for 'Through Rose Colored Glass' which is supposed to be a Bushroot fic but it is proving to be a very …thorny customer. So it will most likely be a while before I post any of it.)_

_Please leave reviews and let me know what you think thank you Irual_


End file.
